BOSTON — The world will turn its eyes to Boston next year, as the city gets ready to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The host committee, Boston 26, has laid the groundwork for an event of this magnitude, but now warn they may have to scale back key components unless the state steps up funding.
Earlier this year, Boston 26 submitted a request to the state for $20M to cover operations costs, transportation backups, and fan celebrations tied to the seven matches next summer. However, the state legislature has approved only $10M from the house, and nothing from the senate.
CEO of the host committee, Mike Loynd said without the full funding they envisioned, key elements could be scaled back or cancelled. Those elements include a backup bus service if trains break down and large fan celebrations.
“I think it’ll be a challenge to represent as an international destination without some of these things to be honest. We have this one moment in time when over a billion viewers will be looking at us from around the world. We’ll have all these teams coming in, different cultures coming together, showing that Boston is a place where everyone comes together. For us, I think it’s that moment and it’s more about multiplying that moment. At this point, it’s really about how can we show ourselves to the world? And we want to do that right,” Loynd explained.
Governor Maura Healey said she put forward the request for funding and will continue to have conversations with the legislature.
“Remember this investment and any investment that we make as a state is really going to come back to our benefit multiple fold because of the number of people coming through our state, going to games, just coming here to watch. The number of dollars that are going to be spent in hotels and our restaurants, it’s going to be amazing so that investment is worth it,” Gov. Healey said Monday.
The investment and the stakes are high, as the host committee projects more than 2 million visitors, over a $1B in economic impact, 9,000 jobs, and $100M in revenue for Massachusetts. However, compared to other host cities, Boston’s ask is modest. Cities like Seattle have secured more than $45M in state funding, raising question about whether the Bay State is under-investing or under-resourced.
“It’s scary obviously to be concerned about not having enough funding but it’s also such a wonderful opportunity and I want to look past this and I think everyone is looking forward to welcoming the world and we just got to get through this point,” Loynd said.
Boston 25 did reach out to the chairs of the Ways and Means Committee and are awaiting a response.
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