Foxborough still won't license World Cup yet, even after funding promise

Foxborough's select board was assured Tuesday night that they'll get paid almost $8 million in security costs for the FIFA Men's World Cup — but it's still refusing to issue a license for the event while the sides battle out related issues.

At a public meeting on Tuesday, attorneys for Boston '26, the host city organizing committee, assured board members that it  “is willing to commit to backstop those obligations and to pay for everything” the town police and emergency services chiefs say are necessary to hold the seven soccer matches at Gillette Stadium slated to start in June.

In addition, Boston '26 attorney Gary Ronan said the organizing committee has a “commitment” from the stadium’s owners, Kraft Sports and Entertainment "to fund any shortfall that Boston Soccer 2026 may have that would allow it to meet its obligations to the town.”

But town officials were not fully satisfied by the funding pledges.

Tensions rose when Ronan said that as part of the agreement, Boston '26 would help safety chiefs source equipment they’ve said they need for the matches, with a guarantee the items would arrive by June 1 — less than two weeks ahead of the first match on June 13.

Select board chair Bill Yukna said getting equipment that late is “not acceptable.”

He rejected Boston '26's suggestion that the group should have a say in what materials the town needs to fulfill its public safety plan.

"I'm a little frustrated with the fact that a third party wants to be involved with the acquisition, implementation and deployment of this stuff,” he said. “That's not at all what we intend, and that's not what we're going to allow.”

Funding for security and other work around the matches has been contentious in Boston as well as in other host cities. A $625 million pot of federal money to support the cities and states during the tournament is frozen because FEMA, the federal agency leading the disbursement, is shuttered due to the partial government shutdown. Massachusetts has applied for $46 million from that fund; it's unclear if they will receive the full amount, and when.

The Foxborough board members said in late February they were prepared to reject the FIFA license if they did not get assurances over funding. But Gov. Maura Healey has said she was confident the funding would come through.

In a statement to WBUR, Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for Healey, said: "Hosting the FIFA World Cup successfully and safely requires a combination of state, federal, municipal and private funding. We are all working together to make sure that our communities have the resources they need. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security needs to release security funding as soon as possible so that our public safety officials can finalize their operational plans."

Attorneys for Boston '26 on Tuesday night said they believe the parties are “close” to reaching an agreement the board will approve.

Select board member Stephanie McGowan did not share their optimism. The deadline to issue the license is March 17, the day the board is scheduled to meet next.

"If we come in on the 17th and we don't have the right information, we'll have no choice but to vote no.” she said.