BOSTON — On Monday, June 8, 2026, Governor Maura Healey announced that 1,104 free tickets to World Cup matches hosted in Massachusetts will be made available to young people across the state.
The tickets are being donated by Airbnb and will be distributed through Boys & Girls Clubs, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and community organizations throughout the Commonwealth.
The initiative is intended to give young people from communities across Massachusetts — including youth involved with DCF, Boys & Girls Clubs members and families served by community organizations — the opportunity to attend one of the world’s most celebrated sporting events.
“The World Cup is coming to Massachusetts, and we want young people from every corner of our state to have the chance to be part of it,” Healey said. “These tickets will help make sure that kids who otherwise may never have the opportunity to attend a match can experience the excitement of the world’s biggest sporting event.”
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said the effort is part of the administration’s work to ensure that the benefits of hosting the World Cup reach communities across Massachusetts.
“By providing free tickets to young people, we’re opening the door for more families to experience the excitement of the world’s biggest sporting event and be part of a moment that will bring people together from around the globe,” Driscoll said.
Massachusetts is scheduled to host seven World Cup matches in 2026.
Of the donated tickets, 704 will be distributed through the Massachusetts Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, which will coordinate regional distribution through clubs across the state.
Additional tickets will be distributed through community organizations serving cultural communities represented in World Cup matches hosted in Massachusetts, as well as to youth involved with DCF.
Participating organizations include the Immigrant Families Services Institute, Everett Haitian Community Center, International Institute of New England, Brazilian American Center, African Community Education, Ascentria Care Alliance, and Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts.
The Healey-Driscoll administration is also working with DCF to ensure that young people in foster care and other DCF-supported programs have the opportunity to attend a World Cup match.
Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb’s co-founder and chief strategy officer, who is also a Boston native, said Airbnb is proud to help Massachusetts communities take part in the event.
“We’re thrilled to provide hundreds of Massachusetts kids an opportunity to attend the FIFA World Cup 2026 and experience firsthand the joy of this once-in-a-generation event — and we’re grateful to Governor Healey for helping us make this a reality,” Blecharczyk said.
