Don’t worry, Boston taxpayers.
Mayor Michelle Wu is not using city dollars to send Seattle kids to an expensive World Cup match in their home city, a spokesperson from her office has told the Herald.
“As part of a friendly Super Bowl wager between Boston and Seattle,” the spokesperson said, “Mayor Wu and the Boston26 World Cup Host Committee worked in partnership with the Seattle World Cup Host Committee to provide 12 tickets to a FIFA World Cup match for young people from Seattle at no expense to the City of Boston.”
The Herald reported earlier this week that Wu and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson agreed to send World Cup tickets to the Super Bowl’s winning city. That meant if the Patriots defeated the Seahawks, Wilson would have sent Boston kids to a match at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
New England’s improbable season, though, ended in a devastating blow, with a 29-13 loss.
Wu’s office did not respond to Herald requests for details regarding the World Cup ticket giveaway on Wednesday and Thursday, including costs and funding. A city spokesperson ultimately responded on Friday.
“The selection of the 12 young people will be determined by Mayor Wilson and the Seattle team,” the spokesperson added. “Boston 26 will coordinate with Seattle’s Host Committee.”
The spokesperson confirmed that Boston 26, the nonprofit committee responsible for organizing the World Cup in Foxboro and related events in Boston and elsewhere in the Bay State, is covering ticket expenses.
“A deal is a deal,” Wu said at a Tuesday news conference announcing that Boston’s City Hall Plaza was selected as the site of FIFA’s Fan Fest for the seven games scheduled to be played at Gillette this summer.
“I want to thank both of the host committees for being such great partners,” the mayor added, “and giving young people the chance to watch their heroes play.”
Boston 26 is being supported by private fundraising, which has struggled, and public funding.
State lawmakers last year approved $10 million to support World Cup-related transportation, public safety, wayfinding and signage, services for individuals with disabilities, equity, inclusion and sustainability efforts, and volunteer support costs.
The state has also received over $47 million from the feds, earmarked for safety and security in the 11 cities hosting matches across the country.
This all comes as the town of Foxboro has warned that it will not issue an entertainment license for the World Cup at Gillette without more than $7 million in grant funding for security, which it has requested.
And World Cup tickets are expensive, too. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have spoken out against the costs. In Seattle, the cheapest ticket went for around $380 earlier this week.
Wilson said that her administration would 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.”
