New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft agreed that his company would help pay up front the security costs necessary to play seven World Cup games at Gillette Stadium, placating the Massachusetts town of Foxborough and ending a protracted public drama that threatened the event in his building, a member of the town’s select board told ESPN on Thursday night.
“Robert Kraft finally agreed to backstop the Boston 2026 payment policy,” board member Mark Elfman told ESPN.
“We just got the money up front for equipment and infrastructure. We approved a payment plan to be able to pay for payroll for the security part of World Cup in advance.”
A letter viewed by ESPN, signed by Kraft Sports + Entertainment chief operating officer James Nolan and dated Wednesday, was addressed to board members and town manager Paige Duncan.
“The purpose of the Letter Agreement is for [Kraft Sports + Entertainment, a division of the Kraft Group] to provide financial assurances to [Boston Soccer 2026] that BS26 will have timely access to funds for the payment of invoices to, or on behalf of, the Town of Foxborough … in connection with the deployment of the Town’s public safety personnel and providing the Town with those certain goods and equipment …,” the letter read.
Central to the dispute was nearly $8 million that Foxborough has said for months it wanted up front to pay its police. The town refused to spend taxpayer money on a promise that it would be reimbursed by federal funds that have been delayed. Board members also challenged the host committee over the purchase of security materials and a deadline for the materials to be in place.
On Wednesday night, less than a week ahead of a vote that could have decided the fate of the games, the town, the Kraft Group and host committee Boston Soccer 2026 agreed to terms that will allow for the approval of a license granted to FIFA necessary for the games at Gillette, sending a joint statement but providing little detail as to how the agreement was reached.
Elfman told ESPN the battle over the funds essentially was solved by Kraft, who called board chairman Bill Yukna. The town and the Kraft Group are longtime partners; the Kraft Group owns the stadium and applies for a similar license for Patriots games.
Elfman also said that local politicians, including Massachusetts governor Maura Healey, were involved in the final discussions before the agreement.
According to Elfman, the board had an executive session on Thursday night, where it officially approved the “payment portion,” including money that will be available ahead of when the town needs to pay security personnel during the World Cup’s 39 days. A vote for the approval of the entirety of the license is scheduled for March 17, which had been set as a final deadline.
Foxborough had taken a hardline stance on the license approval, intensifying a standoff that turned heated in recent days, pitting a small New England town against a global soccer giant, its host-committee affiliate and a company headed by Kraft.
During a March 3 meeting, the Foxborough select board sparred with two lawyers from the host committee. At the meeting, the host committee said for the first time that it would pay for security funds, if necessary, within two business days of being invoiced. The Kraft Group would fund any shortfall.
On March 5, organizers sent a letter to the town that committed in writing to the payment after two business days of being invoiced. It also said that the host committee had $2 million in an account and expected to receive at least $30 million more. Kraft Sports & Entertainment offered to backstop the funding if needed, according to written documentation also provided. But board members were not satisfied until Wednesday night.
“We wanted to make sure that we could pay for what FIFA said we needed to do to make sure that that stadium was a safe environment for fans to come and watch the game,” Elfman said.
Adding to the funding uncertainty is the status of $625 million that the federal government has earmarked for the 11 host cities in the U.S. “to enhance security and preparedness.” But the Homeland Security Department money has been delayed by a congressional freeze on funding related to immigration enforcement. According to Elfman, Kraft will be reimbursed if that money does come through.
“My personal opinion, is the Krafts should have backstopped this three months ago,” Elfman added
Gillette Stadium is scheduled to host its first game on June 13, when Scotland takes on Haiti.
