Congratulations to more than one thousand physicians across Mass General Brigham, representing diverse specialties and entities, recognized as 2026 Top Doctors.
State and local elected officials, including Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, were all smiles Tuesday, green-and-blue soccer balls in their hands as they posed for pictures following the announcement of Boston City Hall Plaza as a central location for World Cup fan festivities.
But behind the scenes, there has been grumbling about someone viewed as missing from the picture: Officials on Beacon Hill and at the city level have privately expressed unhappiness that Robert Kraft, the multibillionaire owner of the New England Revolution, isn’t throwing his weight around to help the effort that carries a $1 billion economic impact for Massachusetts, sources say.
Private fundraising for the massive event has struggled. Public funding requests come as state and local budget writers are readying for a tough fiscal year, with “slow growth” expected, as Healey’s budget chief has repeatedly put it. Tuesday’s fan festival announcement came months after other host cities laid out their own plans.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, where Kraft’s New England Patriots also play, will host seven World Cup matches this summer. Organizers were hoping for at least $20 million from Beacon Hill. Lawmakers set aside $10 million in a special sports and entertainment fund in a fiscal 2025 spending bill, and a portion of the money will go towards the fan festival, which organizers say they’re determined to make admission-free.
Kraft did help bring the World Cup to the United States. He was recently spotted with Gianni Infantino, the head of the soccer federation FIFA. Infantino wore Patriots apparel during a January visit to Gillette and when he spent time with Kraft at last weekend’s Super Bowl, according to his social media posts. A Kraft spokesperson did not respond to a phone call requesting comment.
The total number of state and local dollars to support the World Cup in Massachusetts is still being calculated, officials said. The month of March could bring some answers to funding questions, organizers said. They added that they could not guarantee the fan festival will turn out as nice as the renderings on the screen behind the state and local officials at Tuesday’s event.
Asked why the Krafts can’t just cut a check, Mike Loynd, the head of the nonprofit organizing committee known as FIFA World Cup Boston 26, said they’re offering up Gillette – which will be temporarily rebranded as Boston Stadium under FIFA rules – for the event during a peak period for them. “Their stadium is their business, so they’re taking their business offline for two months to support this event,” said Loynd, who previously worked for the Krafts.
Questions about World Cup funding have been playing out on a smaller scale in the town of Foxborough over the last week.
Town officials have told reporters they need clarity on how they’re getting nearly $8 million in public safety funding before they can grant FIFA the license needed for the World Cup events. The officials initially believed the Kraft Group would pick up the check. Loynd said he was on the phone with the town manager Monday night and he felt confident about a “very good conclusion” to the mini-saga.
“They’ll get their money,” Healey told reporters on her way out of the Boston City Hall Plaza announcement. “There’s a lot that all these partners need to work through logistically, operationally, and I’m confident that everybody will do that.”
On the mayoral campaign trail last year, with Josh Kraft running against Michelle Wu, I had to learn all sorts of football terms for the purpose of potential puns. This year, it’s soccer. Help a comic book nerd out and send your best pitches for headline puns, since this story doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon: [email protected].
Join us for Keller @ Large LIVE in conversation with House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka on Wednesday, February 25, at the MCLE. Register!
HAPPENING TODAY
9:00 | The Public Health Council meets. Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein gives an update. The council will vote on a determination of need request from Mass General Brigham Ambulatory Surgery - Cambridge, LLC to establish a freestanding ambulatory surgery center. Agenda also includes a review of preliminary regulations dealing with blood screening of newborns for treatable diseases and disorders. | Agenda and Access
9:30 | Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants, 2Life Communities, CHAPA and other MRVP Coalition members hold annual Cookie Day to advocate for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. Advocates and tenants will hear from individuals benefitting from the MRVP program, and from Sen. Joan Lovely and Reps. Adrian Madaro and Richard Haggerty. After the speaking portion, people will head to legislative meetings to hand out house-shaped cookies. | Hall of Flags, State House, Boston | More Info and RSVP
11:00 | Gov. Maura Healey is scheduled to testify before the Joint Ways and Means Committee on her fiscal year 2027 budget plan at the committee's first hearing on the $63.36 billion annual spending plan she filed in late January. The committee also expects to hear from Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Treasurer Deb Goldberg, Secretary Bill Galvin, Auditor Diana DiZoglio and Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro. | Gardner Auditorium, State House, Boston | Access and More Info
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FROM BEACON HILL
CALL FOR POLICE COMMISSION: The Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement (MAPLE) is calling for Beacon Hill to set up an independent commission of police experts to look into the culture inside the State Police, which has weathered repeated scandals and embarrassment. Over the years, state lawmakers have appeared uninterested in the agency’s problems. – MassLive
DEPARTURE LOUNGE: Patrick Tutwiler, Gov. Maura Healey’s education secretary, will step down on Friday to take the presidency at Needham-based Walker Therapeutic and Educational Programs, a nonprofit. He will be replaced by Stephen Zrike Jr., the superintendent of Salem schools. – State House News Service
WU ON RENT CONTROL: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she will vote for the return of rent control if it lands on the ballot this fall. She doesn’t support the proposed language, but hopes pressure mounts on state lawmakers to arrive at a compromise and avoid a ballot battle. – GBH News
AUDIT FIGHT: Auditor Diana DiZoglio is asking the Supreme Judicial Court to compel House and Senate lawmakers to produce financial documents. She is also seeking permission to go around Attorney General Andrea Campbell and have special assistant attorneys general handle the case. – MassLive
AI IN ELECTIONS: House lawmakers are set to approve artificial intelligence legislation on Wednesday. The bill would place limits and disclosure rules on the use of AI in elections. – State House News Service
NEWS NEXT DOOR
MODERNA SETBACK: The Food and Drug Administration, now under the control of vaccine skeptics, has refused to review for approval a flu vaccine from Cambridge-based Moderna. – Boston Business Journal
MANIFEST DESTINY: In his state of the city speech, Quincy Mayor Tom Koch said he wants to buy the former Eastern Nazarene College campus, another potential acquisition in a series of land deals his administration has made. He also reiterated his commitment to a publicly funded performing arts center and a presidential museum focused on the Adams family. – Patriot Ledger
DHS VS. COUNCILOR: Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is unhappy with Boston Councilor Enrique Pepen, who criticized immigration officials for how they apprehended an undocumented immigrant charged with trafficking cocaine and fentanyl. Agents appeared in Roslindale, pulled the person out of the car and left the car in the street. – Boston Herald
3-YEAR DEGREES: The Board of Higher Education signed off on Massachusetts colleges and universities offering three-year bachelor’s degrees, creating a faster and potentially more affordable path to graduation. – State House News Service
EX-COUNCILOR’S TRIAL: A former Worcester city councilor is standing trial after she was charged with assault and battery on a police officer. The charges followed a chaotic scene sparked by immigration agents arresting a 40-year-old woman last May. – MassLive
TAX REFORM PITCH: As some private sector jobs leave Massachusetts, the conservative Pioneer Institute is recommending new thresholds on a surtax. – Boston Business Journal
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Training Program Coordinator: MA Legal Aid and Community Education Project (LACE), Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
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Controller, Commonwealth Corporation
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