Boston Legacy FC, an NWSL expansion franchise in 2026, will play all its first season of home games at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, due to delays with the redevelopment of its proposed home stadium.
“With the 2026 NWSL season from 10 months, the Boston Legacy FC will play its inaugural season at the Gillette Stadium before the club moved to its permanent house at the White Stadium in 2027,” said a spokesperson for Boston Legacy on Wednesday.
“The construction of the white stadium is on track, but the construction will not be completed by March 2026,” continued the press release.
The Gillette stadium is the longtime house of the New England revolution in MLS and the Patriots of New England of the NFL. The Gillette Stadium will also host seven games from the FIFA male World Cup next summer. The NWSL plans to play games at the World Cup next year, Commissioner Jessica Berman told ESPN.
The Boston Legacy FC ownership group renovated the Dilapidated White Stadium in the Franklin Park in Boston as part of a public and controversial – public -private partnership with Boston public schools.
White Stadium was originally to reopen by March 2026, when the NWSL generally begins its regular season, but it faced several setbacks, including an ongoing trial of a local conservation group to stop the project. The demolition of the old structures began earlier this year.
The Boston Globe reported on Wednesday that “the earliest” the White Stadium field will be finished is “the middle of next summer” and that the Boston Legacy FC decided not to make a change of mid-season in its inaugural campaign.
The passage to play at the Gillette Stadium, a place of 65,000 places with artificial lawn which is mainly used for American football, is another setback for the Boston franchise originally approved as an extension team of the NWSL at the beginning of 2023.
Earlier this year, the group announced that it was a name for its name to Boston Legacy FC. The team initially announced itself as “Bos Nation FC” last October. The name, and the marketing campaign that accompanies it entitled “Too many bullets”, has been widely criticized.
Boston obtained an expansion team from the NWSL subordinate to the renovation of the stadium that materializes, said sources previously in ESPN.
“Expansion is our opportunity to shape the future of the league and to set up not only the contractual requirements for these clubs, but also the surveillance of the league to ensure that specific deadlines are respected,” said Berman about Boston in March when asked if the white stadium would be ready. “We have been and continue to work in close collaboration and in partnership with the property group in Boston.”
Berman and the mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, praised the partnership between the city and the NWSL team as a model to follow for other cities.
The project price has almost doubled its initial estimate, more than $ 200 million. Boston Legacy, led by the main owner Jennifer Epstein – whose family is a long -standing co -owner of the NBA Boston Celtics, which is being sold – is responsible for half of the renovations and costs.
The athletics of Boston public schools will have priority in the planning of events at the stadium. The Boston Legacy FC will be authorized to use the stadium for up to 20 games per year, with certain restrictions on the frequency of games.
The Gillette stadium belongs to the Kraft group, owner of the Revolution and the Patriots.
Josh Kraft, the son of the CEO and president of Kraft Group, Robert Kraft, arises for the mayor of Boston against Wu. The White Stadium project was a source of public conflicts between Josh Kraft and Wu.
The krafts try to build their own football stadium in Everett, just opposite the Charlestown district of Boston.
A spokesperson for Kraft Sports and Entertainment published the following statement to ESPN:
“Gillette Stadium is pleased to welcome the Boston Legacy FC for its inaugural season in 2026. After being approached by the club, the Gillette stadium was proud to support the team and to provide a world class for the Boston Legacy FC and its fans to promote the progress of the professional soccer of women in the New England.
“The Gillette Stadium and the Revolution of New England are looking forward to sharing the field with the Boston Legacy FC while we add to our long history of hosting the leading soccer events.”
