The idea of a Boston soccer-specific stadium for New England Revolution (MLS) has been discussed by mayor Marty Walsh and Robert Kraft, according to recent comments from Walsh.
The Revolution play home matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, also home to Kraft’s New England Patriots. Kraft has made efforts to move the Revolution out of Gillette Stadium and into a smaller, soccer-specific venue somewhere in the Boston area. That has included a pursuit of a stadium at the Bayside Exhibition Center in Dorchester, an effort that fell through last year when negotiations ended (the above rendering is from that effort).
It remains to be seen whether the Revolution will land a stadium in Boston, but Walsh said recently that he has discussed the idea with Kraft. New stadium discussions are not tied to the effort to bring 2026 World Cup matches to the area, but Walsh indicated that he and Kraft have had conversations about constructing a stadium in Boston. More from the Boston Herald:
“We’ve talked about it. … When we see each other, we talk a lot about it because it’s no secret. I’d love to see Boston build the first open-air stadium in our city since Fenway Park,” Walsh said yesterday, declining to elaborate on when he last spoke with Kraft about it.
Earlier this week, FIFA announced that the 2026 World Cup will be held in North America, with Gillette Stadium in Foxboro a potential venue.
Kraft, who also owns the New England Revolution Major League Soccer team that plays at Gillette, was part of the three-nation team that won the 2026 bid, and has long aimed at bringing a professional soccer stadium to the city.
Kraft is still hunting for a spot in the Hub for a stadium, spokesman Stacey James has said. He added that the goal of building a stadium is separate from bringing the World Cup to Massachusetts.
The Revolution has played at Gillette Stadium since its opening in 2002.
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