Another "first" (of a few in this case) as Franklin, through the MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau is one of the 2 FIFA permits authorized for a "watch party", currently scheduled for June 24 & June 25 for the Town Common.
"This spring, the Healey administration awarded $10 million in grants to support World Cup celebrations in more than two dozen communities, hailing them as an opportunity for more people to share in the excitement without having to buy tickets to Gillette Stadium.
The party planners got to work: They imagined parks and town greens packed with soccer-crazed crowds, lined with food vendors, and anchored by towering screens broadcasting live World Cup matches in real time. The grants were intended to support World Cup-related celebrations in 25 cities and towns through June and July.
There’s just one bottleneck: FIFA, soccer’s powerful global governing body, has so far granted public viewing licenses to just two of the 17 organizations planning viewing events and other festivities, and with the start of the games fast approaching, it is unclear whether many of them will take place at all. Two municipalities have decided not to go forward with plans.
Without those approvals, municipalities cannot legally show the matches in public, leaving many local organizers frozen in place — unable to lock in vendors, rent giant screens, hire security, or recruit volunteers."
Continue reading the article on line:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/13/metro/its-maddening-fifa-licensing-delays-threaten-massachusetts-world-cup-party-plans/?et_rid=1745607262&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
More about the watch party or fan zone on the Town Common