Gillette Stadium to host 7 matches during 2026 FIFA World Cup – WCVB Boston

The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.
Gillette Stadium will host seven matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including two during the knockout stages of the world’s preeminent soccer tournament.
The venue in Foxborough, Massachusetts, will host group stage matches on Saturday, June 13; Tuesday, June 16; Friday, June 19; Tuesday, June 23; and Friday, June 26.
A Round of 32 match at Gillette is scheduled for Monday, June 29. This will be the first time the World Cup’s knockout stages will feature a Round of 32 because it will be the first edition of the tournament to be played with 48 teams.
Finally, the home of Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution and the National Football League’s New England Patriots will host a World Cup quarterfinal match on Thursday, July 9.
The national teams that will be playing in those matches will not be known for some time because the World Cup field will not be finalized until March 2026. The only nations that have qualified for the 2026 tournament thus far are the three host countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The 2026 tournament will mark the second time Foxborough has hosted the FIFA World Cup. Foxboro Stadium, Gillette Stadium’s predecessor, hosted six matches during the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Soccer icon Diego Maradona and Argentina played two group-stage matches during that tournament, and 1993 Ballon d’Or winner Roberto Baggio led Italy to two knockout stage wins at Foxboro Stadium.
Gillette Stadium is one of 16 venues across the U.S., Mexico and Canada that will host World Cup matches in 2026.
The United States will play its opening World Cup match on Friday, June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. The Americans’ second group-stage match will be played Friday, June 19 at Lumen Field, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders of MLS. The U.S. will then return to SoFi Stadium for its third and final group-stage match of the tournament on Thursday, June 25.
The opening match of the 2026 World Cup will feature Mexico on Thursday, June 18 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which previously hosted two World Cup Final matches: the 1970 final that saw world soccer legend Pelé win his third World Cup with Brazil and the 1986 final in which Maradona captained Argentina to the country’s second world title.
Canada’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup, the first men’s World Cup match to be played in the country, will be held Friday, June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup Final will be played Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

source