For football fans around the world, the idea of attending a World Cup match may start with a crowded city square, before a short train ride or walk through busy streets towards the stadium.
But when the 2026 Fifa World Cup arrives in the US this summer, international supporters could discover that one of the biggest challenges is not finding a ticket for the tournament, but figuring out how to reach a game.
In Massachusetts, Fifa has branded Gillette Stadium, which will host group-stage matches including England v Ghana and Iraq v Norway, as “Boston Stadium".
It’s a name that sounds straightforward enough, but the reality is less so, because Gillette Stadium is not actually in Boston.
Gillette Stadium is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, a small town 50km south-west of Boston and about as close to the Rhode Island city of Providence further to its south. The journey can take an hour by train on a good day.
“A lot of folks will think it’s in Boston … it’s concerning,” Jonathan Berk, an urbanist and the founder of housing advocacy group re:Main tells The National.
He argues that Gillette Stadium is an example of a wider American problem: stadiums built not for pedestrians or public transport, but for drivers.
And that is partly because much of the US itself was built that way.
“Urban planning changed in the 60s and 70s,” Mr Berk says. “It was a time when the car was becoming more and more prevalent.”
Older cities like Boston and New York predate the car, and their narrow streets, dense neighbourhoods and public transit reflect that era.
Boston itself remains a walkable city, Mr Berk says, while Fenway Park, built in 1912, fits into the city grid with minimal parking but strong train access, letting fans arrive on foot or by public transport.
But after the Second World War, the country embraced the car. The Interstate system spread across the suburbs, shopping malls pulled life away from urban centres, roads widened and parking lots expanded.
New stadiums were increasingly built on cheap land far from the city, where there was room for tens of thousands of vehicles.
Gillette Stadium came out of that era. It was designed around the idea that almost everyone would drive.
On a normal NFL game day, when the New England Patriots are playing, that works. The stadium has about 20,000 parking spaces and fans arrive early to tailgate for hours before kickoff, with many staying long after the game ends as traffic clears.
World Cup fans are unlikely to behave in the same way.
“People are used to going to the pub and walking over to the game 20 minutes before it starts,” Mr Berk says. “That’s not going to happen here.”
Instead, visitors staying in Boston will probably rely on the train to reach Foxborough. Under normal circumstances, only a few thousand people use the train to reach Gillette Stadium, but for the World Cup, officials are expecting more than 20,000.
Mr Berk says the rail system was never designed for that kind of demand. Fans will likely have to arrive early, wait longer and accept the possibility of delays, he says.
Adding to the pressure, Fifa will reportedly slash the number of parking spaces available around the stadium for security purposes. Mr Berk says fans who attempt to drive may discover there is nowhere to park.
It comes as Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the agency responsible for operating most transit services in the Boston area, announced a train ticket will cost $80 from the city to Gillette Stadium during the seven World Cup matches being played there, a significant increase to normal rates.
Concerns around transport are not limited to Boston.
AT&T Stadium, branded as “Dallas Stadium” for the tournament, sits in Arlington, a Texas City between Dallas and Fort Worth that does not have a traditional public transit system.
The North Texas Fifa World Cup Organising Committee is advising fans to take the train from Dallas to Fort Worth’s CentrePort station, and then transfer to complimentary charter buses to reach the stadium, a trip that could take more than 90 minutes.
During the tournament, AT&T Stadium will host group-stage matches such as England v Croatia and Jordan v Argentina.
Even the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey could present challenges. While Fifa calls it “New York New Jersey Stadium”, it is far from Manhattan and sits amid motorways with limited pedestrian access.
Parking at the venue is expected to be severely limited, and fans have been advised by the area’s host committee to take local trains, shuttle buses and ride-share options.
Mr Berk believes the host cities, including Boston, will ultimately cope and should be applauded for putting on the tournament and upgrading infrastructure with little financial support, in most cases losing money. But he says international visitors may need to adjust their expectations.
“I recommend that folks do their due diligence, find out how they're getting to the games and don't assume they can approach this as if it was their home stadium,” he says. “This is a car-orientated culture and sadly, we have all our stadiums built for that.”
