Steve Clarke's men are due to play two games at the Gillette Stadium but there is a security license row
10:15, 19 Feb 2026
Tartan Army enjoying the sunshine at the 2024 Euros in Munich, Germany
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Tartan Army enjoying the sunshine at the 2024 Euros in Munich, Germany(Image: Ross Turpie DailyRecord / SundayMail)
Scotland's World Cup matches in Boston will be the equivalent of a Super Bowl and an 'NFL game on steroids' after they were handed the highest risk category in the USA, according to the host town's chief.
And Foxborough officials have revealed talks have broken down with FIFA to resolve their threats to refuse to grant a licence for the Gillette Stadium to host two Scotland games this summer, due to a £5.5 million security cost shortfall.
Scotland face Haiti and Morocco in the tiny town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which has a population of just 18,500 - that's less than Scottish towns Kirkintilloch, Bellshill and Peterhead.
They want FIFA and the owners of the Gillette Stadium, the Kraft Group, to stump up the cash before they grant an entertainment licence and have made it clear they won't issue it unless they get funding.
But a deal seems further away than ever after their latest meeting this week and angry Foxborough chiefs have repeated their threat to refuse to host the seven games there - including two Scotland games and an England match against Ghana.
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Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts
Foxborough Select Board vice-chairwoman Stephanie McGowan insisted: "We’re not prepared to issue this license unless everything is in place. I see people say, ‘Oh, there’s no way that they won’t.’ - I’ll tell you that this board will not issue this license. I don’t feel like we are getting the answers."
And they have revealed Scotland's opening game on June 13, local time, has been handed a SEAR 1 (Special Event Assessment Rating) designation - the highest risk level category for American public gatherings, indicating 'events of significant national or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support.'
FIFA representatives were grilled during the meeting about whether they would agree to stump up the cash, but insisted they were 'not in a position to promise funding.'
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And Select Board Chairman Bill Yukna pointed out after the meeting: "The World Cup games are SEAR 1 events.
"It’s obviously an NFL game on steroids - it’s equivalent of seven Super Bowls here and 39 days of coverage, which is not small, not to be lost. We have to secure that facility for 39 days straight.
"It makes me a little concerned when the question is asked about where the payment is going to come from, and both of the FIFA guys there were almost pointing at each other. Nobody wanted to answer the question and I think that speaks volumes."