MEDIA CONTACTS:
David O’Donnell
Meet Boston
dodonnell@meetboston.com

Mary Zanor
Regan Communications Group
mzanor@regancomm.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOSTON (November 19, 2025) – Meet Boston announced today the formation of the Greater Boston Sports Commission (GBSC) to continually promote the Boston area as a premier destination for sports and events and elevate the region. This initiative will provide a deep social and economic impact as more national and global sporting events come to the region.

Sports tourism has long been a key focus of Meet Boston under the leadership of President and CEO Martha J. Sheridan, but this will take it to the next level. The Commission has been developed in close collaboration with FIFA World Cup 26™ and will support the delivery of that iconic global sporting event next year. The Boston 2026 World Cup matches are projected to have an estimated economic impact of over $1 billion and will serve as a blueprint and a proof of concept for bidding on and securing future sporting events for the region.

“Boston is the most renowned sports town in the country. Our legendary franchises and iconic venues, combined with a highly engaged fanbase, have created an enduring and unparallelled passion,” said Sheridan. “We know how to execute sporting events on a global stage, and these events have an immense economic impact as fans come into the Commonwealth and generate robust spending for the travel economy at hotels, restaurants, and attractions. This spending produces significant tax revenue. The World Cup is a continuation of our legacy, and the creation of this Commission allows us to actively and collectively pursue more international sporting events.”

Sheridan and Meet Boston have already played a vital role in bringing several other major sporting events to Boston, including the first-ever Army-Navy Game to be held in Massachusetts, the first-ever WNBA regular season game at TD Garden, the Boston Supertri, the Six Invitational, and, most recently, the NHL/NHLPA Four Nations Face-Off and the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in the winter of 2025.

The work being done now to successfully host World Cup matches - transportation infrastructure, coordinating celebrations, providing accommodations, and developing a security plan - is essential to other sporting events that the Commission could bid for in the future, such as the Women’s World Cup, World Cup of Hockey, NBA All-Star Game, NFL Draft and more.

GBSC executive board members, advisory board members, and corporate partners will be announced in the future.

For more information on sports tourism in Boston, visit https://www.meetboston.com/sports/. 

 

About Meet Boston:

Meet Boston is the primary private sector marketing, sales and visitor services organization charged with the development of meetings, conventions, and tourism-related business in the region. As a partnership organization, Meet Boston promotes and collaborates with over 1,000 partners in the greater Boston region and across New England to drive a robust visitor economy and to build equity within the sector. The Meet Boston mission is to elevate Boston’s vibrant neighborhoods and diverse people, amplifying their stories and sharing them locally and across the globe. Meet Boston delivers exciting and inclusive programs and services that enhance the local economy by unifying an eclectic range of community stakeholders around the opportunities, experiences and energy that define the destination and the visitor journey. For more, please visit: https://www.MeetBoston.com/.

###