Tips from a native Bostonian

[jross9389]

New to the message board, thanks for allowing me to join. I have lived in Boston nearly all my life and thought I could provide some tips and info that may be helpful to some. 

First, I could not be more excited for the World Cup. I'll be attending the 2 Scotland matches at Gillette Stadium (Boston stadium). Will be representing my Scottish heritage (surname Ross) with my buddy (surname Craig). We bought kilts, sporrans, etc. and we can’t wait to party with the Tartan Army!

Some stadium information: Gillette stadium is sort of in the middle of nowhere Foxborough, MA, about 45 minutes from Boston without traffic. If you are attending matches, you're probably taking the commuter rail or driving and parking there, unless you have a group bus. Uber/Lyft will be a massive pain with drivers trying to get into and out of the area. If you are planning on taking the train, tickets are $80 per person and must be purchased in advance on the MBTA website. If driving, you also need to purchase parking in advance if using the official parking (.https://www.justpark.com/us/event-parking/fifa-world-cup-2026/boston-stadium/). Yes, it's $175 and yes that is an insane price, so is the cost of the train. There will likely be parking at the businesses along the way a little further from the stadium as well on game day but I doubt it will be any cheaper. If you are driving (and this is important) plan to go EARLY. Parking lots open 4 hours before the match. Traffic can be an absolute nightmare getting to and from Gillette stadium from Boston so plan accordingly. 

Now, us Americans love our tailgating so the atmosphere in the parking lots will be fantastic. When tailgating we typically drink, some people bring grills to cook food, we play games in the lot like ladder golf and cornhole, and throw around the (american) football around. Most New England Patriots fans are pros when it comes to tailgating now. Everyone is social and jumping in to play a game or sharing a beer with a tailgating group is definitely encouraged! Tailgating is also allowed after the game if you want to hang out and let the traffic lighten up before leaving. 

Another important thing is sunscreen. My very white Scottish skin would be lobster red after being outside all day without it. It can get very hot here in the summer but New England weather is also volatile. It might be anywhere from 55° to 100°F (13 to 38C). Try and be as prepared as possible but I can't stress enough how quickly you can get sunburned on a hot day. 

Lastly, tickets. If you're on this board and going, you likely already have tickets. For those that don't, I might suggest waiting until closer to game day, maybe 1-3 days before. Not only will FIFA probably drop more tickets, the prices on the secondary market here (buying from touts) usually drop a few days before. The FIFA marketplace obviously is one place to look but Stubhub and SeatGeek (and a few others) are typically just as safe to buy from if you find a good deal. 

Very much hoping to meet some of the Army before and during the matches. We'll be in section 140 for the match v Morocco (I believe the Scotland supporter sections are 141-143). One quick suggestion...I have been learning the songs and chants. "No Scotland, No Party" is my current favorite but I like the McTominay one too. Someone should put together a "cheat sheet" or list of your songs and chants to hand out to fans before the game. Or at least the most common ones. I bet you would get a ton more to join in and make the atmosphere even better.

Feel free to ask any questions about the Boston area or what to expect on the day of the match. See you all soon!

[PSJ84]

5 hours ago, jross9389 said:

Someone should put together a "cheat sheet" or list of your songs and chants to hand out to fans before the game.

Not quite the same thing, but…

 

All the songs in that tweet.

[Iain69]

Any advice on driving in the US?

After the Haiti game, I'll be heading to New Hampshire and Vermont (with Montreal in the middle)

[macwomble]

1 hour ago, Iain69 said:

Any advice on driving in the US?

After the Haiti game, I'll be heading to New Hampshire and Vermont (with Montreal in the middle)

Don’t drive on the left! 🤣

[Iain69]

57 minutes ago, macwomble said:

Don’t drive on the left! 🤣

I'll try not to ...

[Big Ramy 1314]

5 hours ago, Iain69 said:

Any advice on driving in the US?

After the Haiti game, I'll be heading to New Hampshire and Vermont (with Montreal in the middle)

Mate, I love in Ottawa, 2 hours from Montreal. I have driven in Montreal, they are fuckin maniacs pal, so be prepared.. I'm no joking, lovely city, wife and me take the train there now to avoid the driving... Every cnut thinks they are Jackie Stewart !!!  Checknout old port Montreal, it's amazing... Any questions, feel free to message me mate... 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👊

[jross9389]

9 hours ago, PSJ84 said:

Not quite the same thing, but…

 

All the songs in that tweet.

Love this. I have some studying to do!

[jross9389]

9 hours ago, Iain69 said:

Any advice on driving in the US?

After the Haiti game, I'll be heading to New Hampshire and Vermont (with Montreal in the middle)

Once you get out of the stadium traffic after the game, which may take a while, you should have smooth sailing driving up to NH/VT/Montreal. Keep in mind the Haiti game doesn't start til 9pm east coast time and likely won't end until 11pm. Getting out of the stadium traffic can legitimately take 1-2 hours and then you've got a bit of a drive after that. So it may be a late night but the drive shouldn't be bad at all once you get to the highway.

[Iain69]

7 minutes ago, jross9389 said:

Once you get out of the stadium traffic after the game, which may take a while, you should have smooth sailing driving up to NH/VT/Montreal. Keep in mind the Haiti game doesn't start til 9pm east coast time and likely won't end until 11pm. Getting out of the stadium traffic can legitimately take 1-2 hours and then you've got a bit of a drive after that. So it may be a late night but the drive shouldn't be bad at all once you get to the highway.

Thanks, I'll be sobering up and going the next day

[PokerCrazy94]

'The FIFA marketplace obviously is one place to look but Stubhub and SeatGeek (and a few others) are typically just as safe to buy from if you find a good deal.'

What are the few others that are safe to buy from?

Thanks.

[fraz65]

1 hour ago, PokerCrazy94 said:

'The FIFA marketplace obviously is one place to look but Stubhub and SeatGeek (and a few others) are typically just as safe to buy from if you find a good deal.'

What are the few others that are safe to buy from?

Thanks.

I've bought a lot from Viagogo over the years, mostly for live music. 

I've only had one negative experience and that was when my Scotland v Switzerland ticket got cancelled the day before the game.

I got a full refund the next day and could have just bought another one. 

I once tried to sell a ticket through Viagogo and they refused to post it as I couldn't provide original Ticketmaster verification. They keep the money until after the event before passing on to the seller in case the tickets are dodgy. 

That said, the tickets on there don't look much cheaper than official FIFA. 

[Johnny_Ham]

Thanks @jross9389

I am trying to arrange a game of football for me and some friends on the Sunday afternoon after the Haiti game. We're going to be in the Everett/Revere area. Are there 7-a-side pitches we can hire or are there public parks with goalposts we can use? Bit of an odd query but hoping you have some inside info!

We're driving up from NJ/NYC on both game days so will need to just take the hit on parking costs near the stadium. Are there any businesses that tend to offer parking in locations you would recommend? I'm thinking particuarly in terms of making a quick(ish) getaway after the game (where we will be driving to Everett for our overnight accommodation).

Thanks again for your offer of help to those of us travelling over!

Edited Wednesday at 08:46 PM by Johnny_Ham
Typo

[jross9389]

4 hours ago, PokerCrazy94 said:

'The FIFA marketplace obviously is one place to look but Stubhub and SeatGeek (and a few others) are typically just as safe to buy from if you find a good deal.'

What are the few others that are safe to buy from?

Thanks.

The Gametime app is typically safe. Ive also used Vividseats.com in the past without any issues. 

[jross9389]

2 hours ago, Johnny_Ham said:

Thanks @jross9389

I am trying to arrange a game of football for me and some friends on the Sunday afternoon after the Haiti game. We're going to be in the Everett/Revere area. Are there 7-a-side pitches we can hire or are there public parks with goalposts we can use? Bit of an odd query but hoping you have some inside info!

We're driving up from NJ/NYC on both game days so will need to just take the hit on parking costs near the stadium. Are there any businesses that tend to offer parking in locations you would recommend? I'm thinking particuarly in terms of making a quick(ish) getaway after the game (where we will be driving to Everett for our overnight accommodation).

Thanks again for your offer of help to those of us travelling over!

This is an excellent question, not odd at all. I'm constantly trying to find an open baseball field to bring my boys to on weekends so I totally get it. A lot of parks/playgrounds in the Everett area have fields. Unfortunately I don't know Everett super well so I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a free one or a 7 a side sized pitch. I'd take a look at this site that lists the parks in Everett and has some contact info to email and ask (https://everettma.myrec.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=14724)

As far as parking at the businesses nearby, there will be quite a few along route 1 as you get closer to the stadium. If you don't mind walking a bit, being a little further away may help with the traffic getting out. There is a car dealership close by (Rodman Ford) that a lot of my friends park and tailgate at before Patriots games. Unfortunately not any cheaper but you may have a little better luck with traffic there (https://www.rodmanford.com/about-us/event-parking/)

[Johnny_Ham]

Many thanks, @jross9389 - that's a big help and much appreciated.

Looking forward to our visit. Factor 50 suncream is being panic bought as I type.

[ScottFindlay22]

Just seen USA vs Australia is 3 hours before Morocco game.

Will there be screens around Gillette stadium to watch this with a beer?

[jross9389]

On 6/5/2026 at 11:40 AM, ScottFindlay22 said:

Just seen USA vs Australia is 3 hours before Morocco game.

Will there be screens around Gillette stadium to watch this with a beer?

Almost definitely. The area directly around Gillette stadium has some shopping and restaurants and they have big screens outside showing games. If you want to have a pint and watch the USA game, I'd suggest The Harp (https://www.theharp.com/), used to be called CBS Scene. They have tons of huge TVs and will be a fun atmosphere. If you're planning on tailgating, people will most likely have portable TVs set up in the parking lot too.

[fraz65]

5 hours ago, jross9389 said:

Almost definitely. The area directly around Gillette stadium has some shopping and restaurants and they have big screens outside showing games. If you want to have a pint and watch the USA game, I'd suggest The Harp (https://www.theharp.com/), used to be called CBS Scene. They have tons of huge TVs and will be a fun atmosphere. If you're planning on tailgating, people will most likely have portable TVs set up in the parking lot too.

What about after the Haiti game? Will the Australia game br shown at midnight?

I'm Australian so have a vested interest. 

Edited yesterday at 12:44 AM by fraz65