It feels like the announcement that the FIFA World Cup would take place in Boston just happened—but somehow, it’s already 2026, and we’re less than five months away from kickoff!
This will be only the second time in history that the World Cup is held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The first time was during the 1994 games.
While all the action will unfold across the seven matches scheduled for Gillette this summer, fans, players, coaches, and visitors will be spotted throughout Massachusetts—from the bustle at Logan Airport to tourists exploring everything New England has to offer. Thanks to a $100 million investment from the House to improve transit in all host cities, expect upgraded train systems connecting travelers from around the world.
French team finds a new home in Boston
With players and fans settling across the state, the team’s base camps have also been announced. Massachusetts will host the French men’s national team this summer. France has won the World Cup twice—first in 1998 and again twenty-years later in 2018. The team will train at Babson University’s Hartwell-Rogers Field in Wellesley, just 30 minutes outside Boston.
Babson isn’t new to hosting global teams—it has welcomed players from the United States, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Italy, along with Babson’s own women’s and men’s NCAA Division III teams who regularly train at the field. While France trains in Wellesley, the team will temporarily stay in Boston at the Four Seasons Hotel, located next to Boston Public Garden. Who knows—maybe you’ll end up sharing a swan boat ride with one of the players!
It hasn’t yet been announced whether there will be open practice sessions where the public can watch teams train at their base camps. Stay tuned for updates and more information about the upcoming World Cup. This map reveals 136 FIFA World Cup basecamps and learn more about the upcoming games.