“We want to protect our citizens”
World Cup venue shakes because of demands for money
02/26/2026 – 1:11 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The alarm bells are ringing in the US venues. Around 100 days before the start of the World Cup, the question marks surrounding the final round are not getting any smaller.
The threat is unmistakable. If the financing is not in place by March 17th, the Boston venue will pull out. The other ten US host cities do not want to go that far around 100 days before the start of the World Cup (June 11th to July 19th), but the so far fruitless wait for around $900 million in promised federal funds is raising alarm bells there too. Greenland, ICE, boycott, Mexico and now also the money – the countdown to the XXL finals is not a good star.
The latest negative headlines come from the 18,000-strong Boston suburb of Foxborough, where the football giant New England Patriots’ stadium, which has been converted into a World Cup arena, is located. Whether the seven planned World Cup games will actually be played there is apparently hanging by a thread. “The money has to be here,” said the responsible administration boss Bill Yukna, who under no circumstances wants taxpayers to pay for the security costs: “We are a small city. We just want to protect our citizens.”
There is talk of $7.8 million in Foxborough. But the venue, Boston, Massachusetts, is only part of the problem. US authorities are warning the entire country of serious security risks at the World Cup as a result of the partial budget freeze. According to a BBC report, local officials told a House Security Committee hearing that preparations were significantly behind schedule due to a lack of funds.
Ray Martinez, executive director of operations for the World Cup organizing committee in Miami, said the city needs $70 million by the end of March. Otherwise, supporting events such as the fan festival would have to be canceled. He warned of “catastrophic” consequences for the plans. Kansas City Police Chief Joseph Mabin said without the funding there wouldn’t be enough staff to provide security during the finals.
With the venues Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, the USA provides the majority of the World Cup stadiums. Two locations will be added in Canada (Toronto, Vancouver), and in Mexico (Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara) the game will be played in three cities. However, given the drug war that has broken out, experts see major question marks surrounding the security situation in Mexico.
