MMA webinar addresses impacts of summer World Cup events

On April 13, the MMA hosted a webinar with state officials and representatives of FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 for municipalities preparing for events related to this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Neil Doherty and Sam Sylvain, director of government relations and director of transportation with Boston 2026, opened with an overview of the matches that will take place in June and July at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, branded as “Boston Stadium” for the tournament.

The World Cup is seen as an unprecedented opportunity for the Boston area to welcome 2 million visitors, with many economic and other impacts for surrounding communities — hotel and car rentals, transportation, and public works and public safety.

Rod Brooks, senior advisor for safety, operations and capital with the MBTA, said the transit agency is coordinating with local, state and federal partners to be able to transport 20,000 fans from South Station to Foxborough with its express Boston Stadium train service.

Amy Getchell, manager of construction traffic management for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said MassDOT is working to mitigate and manage the increase in traffic heading to Boston Stadium this summer by installing stadium wayfinding signage along major routes, posting travel times on Mass511, posting tow trucks along major routes for quick clearance of disabled vehicles, increasing the operating hours for Highway Assistance Patrol, and placing cameras at strategic locations to monitor traffic.

Dan Pinkham, special advisor to Boston 2026 from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, said the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is active throughout the Commonwealth and leading regular meetings with the 351 local emergency manager directors to review anticipated statewide impacts from the World Cup. The office is also finalizing a Human Trafficking Preparedness Plan to share with municipalities to proactively address risks related to sex and labor trafficking.

MMA Legislative Director Dave Koffman moderated 10 minutes of questions and answers, addressing inquiries regarding the projected geographic radius of impacted communities, support for municipal public safety, and which MBTA lines will be running to Boston Stadium.

• Getting Ready for Kickoff: Positioning Your Community For Success During FIFA World Cup 2026 presentation (15M PDF)
• FIFA World Cup – Boston26 Safety and Security Planning (400K PDF)
• MassDOT: Preparing Local Communities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (1M PDF)
• MBTA: Preparing Local Communities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (2M PDF)