#21 Boston
▶ RÉSUMÉ:Annual events include the Boston Marathon (since 1897), MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (since 2007), and college football Wasabi Fenway Bowl (2022). The city also hosted the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championships and the 2018 Women’s Lacrosse Championships; 2018 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships; 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers; 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Boston; and UFC 292.
▶ RECENT WINS: This month’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball East Regional Finals; 2025 and 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championships and Division I, II and III Men’s Lacrosse Championships; and seven matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including a quarterfinal.
When New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft began planning a new stadium in Foxboro, Mass., 25 years ago, he made sure the venue would meet
FIFA’s specs and made no secret of his desire to host the World Cup. Gillette Stadium, where a $250 million upgrade wrapped up last year, has hosted multiple international soccer matches and NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse championships. A recent $100 million renovation at TD Garden has also helped lure events to the arena, such as next week’s NCAA basketball regionals.
▶ LOOKING AHEAD: Nearly all of Boston’s recent transient events were lured by the region’s professional teams or colleges. However, in an effort to attract more visitors to Beantown, the city last year named John Borders IV, a former Boston Celtics executive, as its first director of tourism, sports and entertainment.
▶ STAY AND PLAY: For a unique sports experience, statues of Boston’s sports icons are located throughout the city, including an airborne Bobby Orr outside TD Garden, Bill Russell (City Hall Plaza), Red Auerbach (complete with cigar) near Larry Bird’s bronzed Converse sneakers (Faneuil Hall), and Ted Williams (and others) outside Fenway Park.