(Updated June 15, 2026 at 9 a.m.)
Fans from around the globe will be coming to the United States for the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off June 11, including for several games in the Boston area. There are plenty of ways to take in some of the atmosphere and the spirit of the world’s largest sporting event in and around Watertown. The 2022 World Cup was viewed by 5 billions people globally, according to FIFA (compared to about 115 million for the Super Bowl in the United States), and thousands of fans at the stadiums but it may not be as big an event for the local economy as once thought. The United States is a co-host, with Canada and Mexico, of the tournament featuring 48 teams and 104 games. The Americans will not play in Boston in the group phase, when the U.S. faces Paraguay (June 12), Australia (June 19) and Turkiye (June 25).