Two million people will be looking for things to do in surrounding towns 

By Theresa Knapp

Editor’s note: Due to copyright issues, the more commonly known name for the football/soccer matches cannot be used by publications outside of the official association. We are calling it “Soccer’s Big Event.”

The most popular sport in the world is football (or “soccer” in the U.S.) and this year several matches of the global soccer tournament – or “Soccer’s Big Event” - will be played in June and July in Massachusetts. 

Boston is one of 16 cities across North America that will host matches. Specific dates for the Boston area will be announced closer to the event, but will be between June 13 and July 9.

At a recent Tourism Summit and Legislative Breakfast hosted by the MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau, state and local officials explained how Massachusetts is preparing for the event.

The main speaker at the conference was Greta Teller of “Bostonfwc26,” the group that is overseeing local logistics for the world organization. She said there are many ways MetroWest communities can provide experiences for the millions of visitors who are expected to flood the area. 

“Two million people are coming, and there are only 740,000 tickets,” Teller said. “And many of those people are coming without tickets and will need things to do.”

There are opportunities for communities all around Eastern Massachusetts, and beyond, to join in the festivities and revelry, Teller said, adding fans just want to be in Massachusetts to support their team, which is an opportunity for local fan festivals, fan marches, fan zones, pep rallies, watch parties, and more. 

The event, Teller said, will provide a significant boost to hotels, restaurants and other local businesses; and the Bostonfwc is encouraging towns to organize fan festivals and cultural celebrations in the area, and to promote those events through the organization’s website and the MWVB (for free).

At the summit, it was noted that MetroWest has the largest population of Brazilians outside of Brazil, Brockton has the largest Cape Verde population outside of Cape Verde, and Worcester is home to a large Ghana population – all of which can be a consideration when organizing activities around Soccer’s Big Event.

MetroWest Visitors Bureau Executive Director Stacey David said local towns and organizations should think about experiences visitors might enjoy and market them accordingly – anything related to arts, culture, living history, outdoor activities (trail systems) - will be a big draw. 

“Think about what you have in your town, and let the MetroWest Visitors Bureau help promote it,” said David. 

However, the very first action anyone should take, she said, is to change all website references from “Gillette Stadium” to “Boston Stadium,” which is what visitors will be searching for when planning their trip. 

When creating watch parties and other events, organizers should consult the organization’s public viewing regulations, including broadcast licenses, branding, etc., which can be found at https://bit.ly/FIFApublicViewing. 

The MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau is available to provide assistance to local organizations. The organization promotes travel and tourism throughout the 19 towns of the MetroWest region, which include Ashland, Bellingham, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Medway, Milford, Millis, Natick, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland, and Westborough, according to www.metrowestvisitors.org.