With the final football game between France and Morocco set to kick off in the afternoon of July 9 and determining who advances to the semifinals, a long-running rivalry between two countries with a long history around the popular sport is about to bring in just over 65,000 fans toGillette Stadium in the Foxborough suburb of Boston.
Amid such a large influx of fans, local authorities from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is warning fans and anyone in Boston leading up to or immediately after the game to watch out for crowds and otherwise display common sense around attending a major sporting event.
“We encourage everyone to plan ahead, take public transportation whenever possible, and allow for extra travel time,” MassDoT Interim Secretary of Transportation and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said in a statement to the public. “For our fans traveling on MBTA event trains, we ask that you arrive at your listed boarding group time to ensure smooth boarding.”
Massachusetts officials warn about traffic, crowds at final France-Morocco game
Motorists driving through Route 1 near Gillette Stadium are also advised to plan for additional traffic as well as use the mass511.com and mbta.com/Gillette sites for real-time updates on roads around the area.
“MassDOT and the MBTA have helped transport tens of thousands of fans to Gillette Stadium on match days, and we look forward to providing another safe, reliable, and enjoyable experience for fans attending the France v. Morocco Quarterfinal match on Thursday, July 9,” Eng said further in his statement.
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Other cities where the semifinals will take place, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on July 14 and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, are also putting out similar advisories to locals and the tens of thousands of fans who will be coming in for the games.
The final World Cup game will take place at at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford in New Jersey on July 19 and bring in at least 82,500 attendees as well as countless others cheering in their team without viewing the game live to the New York area.
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What is going on with crowds and traffic during the final World Cup games
Brian Kelly, a travel expert and the founder of The Points Guy, has also repeatedly warned about crowds at World Cup events but personally got around the situation by being a hospitality captain and ambassador for On Location for his home city of Philadelphia.
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The hospitality group is the official partner providing lounge access and premium seating for the FIFA World Cup this year. The record attendance this year has also surged demand for luxury hospitality packages even as most choose to go the other way and enjoy the celebratory atmosphere in crowds.
“I personally hate crowds like at the airport and the anxiety of trying to go to an arena and not knowing the ins and outs,” Kelly said to TheStreet in an interview on his experiences during the World Cup. “I think what On Location has done is take pretty much all of that friction out of what will be the largest sporting event the continent has ever seen.”
Related: US puts out new warning about World Cup travel to Canada
