ATAC met with the Boston host city team in March.  They are responsible for fan services outside the stadium perimeter.  A couple of relevant links are below and then our meeting notes follow.  We will be having follow up meetings with them and we are in the process of making contact with the Miami host city team.

https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/boston-host-seven-matches-stadium

https://bostonfwc26.com/

Scotland play two matches at Boston Stadium (the Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough.

Saturday 13 June v Haiti at 2100

Friday 19 June v Morocco at 1800

Scotland fans will be spread throughout cities and towns around the stadium.  Most concentrated groups will be in Boston and Providence.  Note that these cities are in different states, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, respectively.  The host city team are based in Boston and focussed predominately on fans in that area.  While we cannot commit exact numbers, we would anticipate at least 10,000 supporters travelling from Scotland for the matches in Boston.

Mobility and public transport to matches

We made our hosts aware that Scottish fan culture is not to drive to football matches but to travel by public transport or to arrange group travel in the form of buses and coaches.  The aim is for 14 trains per match to leave from South Station in Boston, direct to the stadium. 14 trains is an increase on business as usual for American Football matches at this stadium.  These are run by MBTA and tickets are bought in advance.  

Post-meeting, news was released into the public domain that the train pricing is expected to be around $75 to $95.  This appears to be a sizeable increase on normal prices for sporting events and concerts at the stadium which are around $20.  French fans for their March fixture with Brazil were charged $30 for the train.  Uber was around $50 to go and $80 to get back.

Public transport bus offering is also being looked at.  Plans are for these Stadium Express buses to depart from some of the biggest hotels (due to bigger transport loading zones) in the city and travel direct to the stadium.  These buses will operate within the Route128 belt which means they will also service hotels in this area out with Boston itself.  Pricing for buses needs to be confirmed.  Note that these will not be limited to the customers who are resident in the hotels they depart from.

We are getting contact details for the company running the Stadium Express buses.  They have an understanding of the overall transport plan so may be of use for private supporter charters.

Trains and buses to the stadium will be for match ticket holders only.  Considerations are being taken for people traveling with young kids as well as for people with mobility challenges.

Supporters based in Rhode Island, specifically Providence, are arranging match transport with the help of authorities there.  These are likely to depart from the Rhode Island Convention Centre.  There are no match trains planned so this will most likely be in the form of buses.  For info, Ghana have their team base in Providence.

Stadium and Foxborough

FIFA control activities within the OSP so stadium manifest, facilities etc not discussed.  Foxborough is a town of 18,000 residents.  It has an area called Patriot Place which is a purpose built three blocks of bars and restaurants.  Non-match ticket holders are discouraged from travelling to the stadium.  With the expected travel prices we would not expect supporters to travel to sit in empty bars around the stadium.

Fanzone

The FIFA Fan Festival is planned for City Hall Plaza in Boston.  This is a 15 minute walk to South Station.  Days and hours of operation are still to be confirmed but expectation is that it will be running for up to 16 days.  It has a capacity of 5,000 and registration for getting access is still a work in progress.  Entry is likely to be free.

Fan Walk

With the stadium being around 25 miles from Boston it is not feasible to walk to the stadium itself.  The host city team have three planned routes in Boston for a Fan Walk.  These are from a park in the city and would terminate at South Station where ticket holders would proceed to trains to the stadium and non-ticket holders would remain in the city.  The Fan Walk would take place well in advance of the match and is approx 3km.  While this would be a wonderful spectacle, we question if our support would find this an attractive proposition given the early timing and that it doesn’t terminate at the stadium.  There is also the fact that many of our fans are not based in Boston and will be highly unlikely to come into town to walk to a train station.  We will consult other ATAC clubs on this.  There was also talk of this being a joint walk with our opponents which does not really fit the Fan Walk model we are used to.

Public Viewing

Specific public viewing sites within Boston are still TBC.  Bars which normally show sporting events will already have the required permit to screen World Cup matches so this will be business as usual.  

Popular Areas

Popular areas where Scotland fans may congregate for bars are Downtown Boston – especially Fenway, Back Bay, West End, North End and the Seaport.  Allston/Brighton is a student with some cheaper bars and restaurants on offer.  East Boston on the other side of the harbour will also be appealing.  The Seaport has a brewery with a large beer garden which may be attractive.

Note that all fans will likely need to show official ID to get into bars, regardless of age.  This can be either a passport or driving licence.  Some venues may accept photocopies or photos of these documents but many will only accept the originals.  Bars are very strict about only serving alcohol to those over 21.  Some bars will limit serving drinks to two at a time which will be a cultural change to buying rounds in Scotland.  Consuming alcohol is forbidden in the streets.

FIFA needs to reconsider the ticket pricing for supporters of competing teams and suspend the planned sale of tickets until it has done so.

The prices that filtered out from each of the national associations yesterday confirmed our worst fears. To buy tickets to follow your team all the way will cost around $7000, a disgraceful and disgusting cost that cannot be justified. FIFA are selling tickets and banking money for the final 48 times over, but only two tickets can realistically be sold. All this cash will be resting in FIFA’s Swiss bank accounts until they grudgingly have to refund it to fans after the tournament ends. Refunds will be subject to a fee to ensure FIFA bleeds the last cent from disillusioned supporters.

The cheapest tickets for our three home matches come in at a total of $665 – £500 to watch three games of football in the cheap seats. Or “Supporters Value” tickets in FIFA’s world. Around 25% of our tickets are in the Premier allocation – Only $1,800 for these three tickets. £1,345 worth of FIFA greed.

This is going to price out many of our fans. FIFA have killed the dream of our young fans, desperate to get to a World Cup. The SFA must stand up to FIFA, together with other associations, to get FIFA to halt this sale and reconsider the prices for our supporters.

Johnny (©️ POTUS) Infantino promised to rid FIFA of greed and corruption, but he has taken it to new levels since he deposed Sepp Blatter. Blatter now looks like Santa Claus by comparison.

This is our one and only chance to confront and change these scandalous prices. The SFA hold positions on various FIFA committees, and we call on them to use those positions of influence to support the Tartan Army.

Likewise, our SFA Board needs to unite with other European Associations to apply pressure on FIFA over these unacceptable prices and push for positive change.

Graeme Baxter from ATAC commented:

“The World Cup is meant to be a global festival of football, bringing together supporters from every nation. For supporters my age, this is the first opportunity we’ve had to support Scotland at one.”

“Instead, FIFA has chosen to prioritise wealth and exclusivity and those with deep pockets, sidelining the hard‑working fans who travel thousands of miles to back their teams who don’t have the level of cash FIFA are demanding”

“ATAC stands firmly alongside Football Supporters Europe and supporters associations across Europe, calling for a rethink of these astronomical and unjustifiable prices”

No Fans = No Game

Tomorrow should be a day of pure joy for Scotland supporters. After 10,027 long days—yes, some of us have counted as carefully as a contestant crunching numbers on Countdown – we finally return to the World Cup stage. Scotland back at the big show. Flags flying. Songs echoing. Optimism rising suspiciously high for a nation that’s never progressed beyond the group stage.

But instead of celebration, an uncomfortable truth is creeping in: many of the Tartan Army are already being priced out of the trip of a lifetime.

A World Cup Return… at a World-Class Cost

Back in France ’98, tickets cost £38 for the best seats, £27 for mid-range, and £16 if you fancied the behind-the-goals experience—affordable, accessible, and designed for real supporters rather than corporate day-trippers who think “offside” is a motorway junction.

Last summer in Germany, our Euros allocation put 10,000 Scotland fans where they belong: behind the goals, together, colourful, boisterous, and gloriously loud. It was a spectacle for those in the ground and millions watching around the world.

This time? We still have no idea how many tickets we’ll receive, where we’ll be seated, or how much we’ll have to cough up. What we do know is that prices are spiralling into the absurd—and that many fans will simply be locked out.

Rumours, Requirements and Ridiculousness

Whispers that fans may be forced to pay for tickets all the way to the final just to secure group stage seats have only added to the outrage. It’s a bold move, given that Scotland have a tournament record that makes our national weather look reliable.

Requiring our supporters to stump up thousands for knockout rounds we’ve never reached would be more than unreasonable—it would be exploitative. And let’s be honest: FIFA will happily resell any unclaimed tickets to sponsors and VIP guests at premium prices, sipping sparkling water while fans wrestle with refund fees. It’s corporate greed dressed up as “fan engagement”.

A Welcome That Rings Hollow

FIFA have publicly said they’re delighted to see Scotland return to the world stage. Lovely sentiment. Unfortunately, their pricing and allocation behaviour makes the words sound as genuine as a politician’s apology video.

The Tartan Army travel everywhere. Rain, shine, or particularly heavy shine. We bring colour, humour, bagpipes, and a sense of camaraderie unmatched anywhere in world football. Yet a huge portion of this support risks being left behind—not because they don’t want to go, but because they simply can’t afford to go.

Infantino’s Forgotten Promise

Gianni Infantino once attended a Scotland strip launch at Stirling Castle back in 2008, smiling for photos and shaking hands with the fans. He promised football would be returned to its supporters.

Fast-forward to today, and you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d misplaced that promise down the back of the world’s most expensive sofa.

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

By all means, reserve a sensible percentage of tickets for later-stage fixtures. But don’t force the cost of those empty seats onto ordinary fans. Don’t limit allocations to the point of scattering supporters around stadiums. And don’t pretend football is “for everyone” if the price of entry is a month’s salary.

FIFA don’t need to do this. They simply choose to. And that’s the problem.

Because in the end, the truth remains painfully simple:

No Fans = No Game.

Sons of Scotland Tartan Army won the ATAC Sevens in Edinburgh today, defeating Doonhamers in the final. WEBATA and ETA made the semi-finals. We were delighted that Scotland legend Colin Hendry presented the trophy, after a very successful day. Thank you to all clubs and players for taking part and to ETA and Loony Alba for hosting.

In the Walking football WEBATA made it 3 out of 3, not conceding once in their 6 games.

In the True Story Trophy played in memory of Diane Doig NETA got the better of ETA, Diane’s step daughter Jane starred for NETA in their 2-1 victory.

See full results