Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is paying up after the Seahawks crushed the Patriots in the Super Bowl, helping send Seattle kids to an expensive World Cup match in their home city.
As part of their Super Bowl wager, Wu and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson agreed to include World Cup tickets for the winning city. That meant if the Patriots defeated the Seahawks, Wilson would send Boston kids to a match at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
But New England’s improbable season ended in a devastating blow, losing to Seattle, 29-13.
“A deal is a deal,” Wu said at a Tuesday news conference announcing that Boston’s City Hall Plaza has been selected as the site of FIFA’s Fan Fest for the seven games scheduled to be played at Gillette.
Wu highlighted that the respective host committees organizing the World Cup matches and related festivities, Boston 26 and Seattle 26, “had gotten in on the fun” between the two mayors.
“I want to thank both of the host committees for being such great partners,” Wu said, “and giving young people the chance to watch their heroes play.”
The mayor’s office did not respond to a Herald inquiry on Wednesday about how many Seattle kids are being sent to the World Cup, how they are being selected, and ticket costs and funding.
Wu is not the only official from the Bay State sending pleasantries to Seattle.
“The mayor is generous in sending kids to games,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “Congratulations to the great state of Washington, we’re going to be sending out a bunch of real New England clam chowder and also a lot of Dunkins.”
As the World Cup draws closer, match ticket prices are a main storyline around the globe due to their exorbitant levels. Fans, though, are still queuing up in the millions to attend soccer’s premier tournament.
On FIFA’s resale marketplace, a ticket for the final was being listed for as much as $230,000 in late January. FIFA does not resell tickets or set prices on the platform, but can cash in for a second time by taking a 30% cut from any sale.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has acknowledged that prices would likely be even higher on resale platforms. His assertion came before the governing body completed its third and final lottery for tickets.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani have criticized the cost of attending the five-week tournament set to take place across the U.S., Mexico and Canada this summer.
In Seattle, the cheapest World Cup ticket at Lumen Field was going for $381 on Wednesday for a match between Egypt and Iran. The Seahawks’ home stadium is hosting the U.S. in the group stage, and limited tickets for its battle against Australia were much higher, starting at $1,353.
Wilson, leading a World Cup security and planning briefing Tuesday for the Department of State’s Foreign Press Centers, said that her administration will be “working to make some tickets available, hopefully at a lower cost” in Seattle.
“And I had a wager with Boston’s mayor over the Super Bowl,” the Seattle mayor added, “and I believe that what we’re winning is some tickets for maybe underserved youth in our community to attend the games, so I’m really excited about that.”
Herald wire services contributed to this report
