Kraft Got Trump To Back World Cup Bid, Revs President Says

FOXBOROUGH, MA — New England Patriots owner and New England Revolution investor/operator Robert Kraft is being credit with helping President Donald Trump get behind the U.S./Canada/Mexico bid for the 2026 World Cup.

New England Revolution president and Boston Soccer 2026 Chairman Brian Bilello told reporters Thursday that Kraft spoke with the president about the bid and the effort behind bringing the World Cup to North America.

“Obviously we had success and won that bid and you can see that from President Trump in terms of his public support for the bid,” Bilello said.

Like almost everything he does, Trump’s public support for the bid was not without controversy. In April Trump tweeted: “The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup. It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?”

The tweet led to a reminder from FIFA about the ethics and code of conduct when it comes to the bidding process. Bid co-chair Carlos Cordeiro told Reuters that he didn’t see the tweet as a threat.

Boston is one of 23 citices that were included in the bid as candidate sites. While the final 16 sites have not been determined it is likely that Gillette Stadium will host games.

“I don’t see why Boston wouldn’t be one of the key cities to host games,” Bilello said, citing the area’s past history hosting World Cup games and nearby hotels.

Foxborough is likely to get six matches of they are named one of the host cities. A grass field will be laid down for the games and covered by the stadium. Since Gillette Stadium is privately owned, the Krafts will have to cover the costs of any needed upgrades, according to Bilello.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images