Understanding the Game and Soccer Culture
When the Boston World Cup games begin on June 13th, 2026, all eyes in the region will turn to Boston Stadium with eager eyes. Supporters of nations slated to play in Boston will try their hardest to will their teams to victory, coaching from the stands and bars around the stadium. For more curious fans who maybe haven’t tuned in since the last World Cup, a quick lay of the land might help.
If soccer is more foreign language than a local game for you, we’ve put together this soccer guide for beginners.
How Soccer Works
If you’re not already among the legion of Boston FIFA fans who pack pubs on matchday, it helps to get a feel for the basics. While association football, what Americans call soccer, has roots in some of the same communities and games as gridiron football (American football), the sports have since developed in different directions.
Strangely, some similarities remain, like 11 players on the field per side. Like gridiron, teams also employ different formations to gain or maintain strategic advantages. However, these formations are not necessarily play-to-play as in football but may instead last an entire game.
Overview
Here are some other essential pieces of information for new Boston FIFA fans:
- Time: 90 minutes, split into 2, 45-minutes halves. Extra time if needed in knockout rounds.
- Object: Score more goals than your opponent in the time allotted.
- Players per side: 11, split between 1 goalkeeper and 10 players who move about the pitch.
- Scoring: A goal is scored when all of the ball crosses the goalline. Modern soccer uses digital technology to ensure the entirety of the ball crosses over that line.
- Key Dimensions: The pitch must be 110 to 120 yards long and 70 to 80 yards wide. The goal is 24 feet wide and 8 feet high.
Basic Rules
Understanding the who, what, where, and when of soccer is a great way to ensure the Boston World Cup games aren’t confusing ordeals. But knowing some more of the basic rules can actually make your viewing experience more enjoyable. We’ve put together a more thorough soccer guide for beginners, but here’s some additional basics to understand.
- Moving the ball: Players must move the ball using primarily their feet and legs. They can dribble to create space and pass to teammates positioned elsewhere on the field. Only the keeper, while in their penalty area, can touch the ball with their hands. Otherwise, it’s what’s known as a handball penalty.
- Positions: There are multiple named positions in soccer, each with their unique responsibilities and skillsets. You can think of them in four distinct groups: Keeper, Defenders, Midfielders, and Attack. Within 3 of these groups, the responsibilities and expectations differ.
- Strategy: Soccer can be a chess match, with managers (coaches) looking to gain advantages through unique formations and moving players around to create mismatches on opponents. Some formations are more defensive, others more offensive, and some offer a more balanced approach.
- Penalties: Violations and misconduct can result in fouls and penalties, which give the non-offending team some form of advantage. These are most often direct or indirect free kicks but for severe or poorly located fouls, it may result in a penalty kick, a dramatic goalscoring opportunity.
- Cards: In addition to penalties, fouls, and violations, players may receive warnings known as yellow cards. A player that receives 2 yellow cards is given a red card and taken out of play, leaving the team shorthanded for the remainder of the match. Refs can also issue a red card right away if the conduct is particularly egregious.
How Soccer Tournaments are Structured
In major North American sports like football, basketball, baseball, and hockey, tournaments are a foreign concept. Although these four sports all have tournaments, they are better known as the playoffs or the postseason. Additionally, these tournaments have varying formats to determine the eventual championship. Basketball, baseball, and hockey all use “Best of 7” series to determine who advances, while only football employs a single game knockout format.
The only tournament that receives significant attention and is known as such is the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament, better known as “March Madness.” This tournament of 64 teams employs a single-game elimination knockout format that quickly reduces the playing field in a short amount of time. But even this tournament isn’t quite the same as what will be on offer at the World Cup Boston games.
Group Format
One of the most confusing aspects of FIFA World Cup play for fans new to the game and tournament is the group stage. World Cup Boston will host group stage play for 3 out of the 12 groups in the world cup. Each group has four teams with the teams with the top 2 points automatically advancing to the knockout round. The remaining knockout round spots will go to the top 3rd place teams.
So how do teams earn points? Winning a game earns a team 3 points, while draws (ties) grant a team 1 point. In the group stage, teams play all the other teams in their group once. So if a team were to win all their group stage games they would have 9 points and be a formidable foe entering the knockout rounds. More likely than not, a team will win, lose, and draw. If two teams end the group stage tied for points, a series of tiebreakers are used to determine who gains the advantage.
If that all sounds confusing, don’t be alarmed. Just imagine the group stage as a really short NFL season where you’re only allowed to play the other teams in your division. Like NFL divisions, each group has four teams and like the NFL, there are wildcard teams who will make it into the “playoffs” or the knockout stage. Just like a wildcard team, the best 3rd place teams will be measured against all the other groups in the tournament.
Knockout Stages
After the group stage, the FIFA World Cup “playoffs” begin. This format is familiar to fans of March Madness or the NFL playoffs but warrants some explanation. Teams will first square off in the Round of 32, with 2 teams playing at Boston Stadium on June 29th for that round. A loss in the Round of 32 eliminates that losing team. There are no trophies awarded, and if the team had high hopes, there will be tons of disappointment. For supporters who didn’t think their team would make it out of the group stage, just playing in the knockout round is an accomplishment.
Notably, there are some rule changes that come with the transition from the group stage to the knockout round. The most important rule change is the addition of extra time. In the group stage, if teams are tied at the end of regulation plus stoppage time, the game ends in a draw and both teams are awarded one point. In a single-elimination tournament though, there’s no room for draws. Extra time, two 15 minute halves totaling an extra 30 minutes, provide space for regular gameplay to continue.
If the game is still tied after extra time, penalty kicks are used to determine a winner. Think of penalty kicks like a shoot-out in hockey. They are dramatic, often high-scoring, create heroes, and crucially, they decide the winner. We can only hope the Quarterfinal Match that World Cup Boston is hosting on July 9th will feature something as dramatic as penalties to decide the winner.
Sadly, there are no more Boston World Cup games after the quarterfinals. The two semi-final matches will be played in Arlington, TX and Atlanta, GA, instead. The losers of those two games will face off in the third place match in Miami. The semi-final winners meanwhile, will advance to the FIFA World Cup Final on July 19th at New York Stadium. With teams like France, England, and Morocco playing at Boston Stadium, it’s possible the eventual champion will have come through World Cup Boston.
Soccer in Boston
Why not take your burgeoning love of soccer and enjoy soccer culture in Boston before and after World Cup Boston action? As a cosmopolitan city, Boston houses populations from across the globe, each adding to an eclectic mix of soccer traditions, culture, and gameplay that makes even a pickup game in the park an all-star affair.
Like any major soccer hub, enthusiasm for the game takes multiple forms depending on the day of the week and time. When EPL games are on in the mornings and early afternoons on Saturdays and Sundays, fans and supporters flock to pubs and sports bars to watch their favorite teams. Some, like Banshee or Phoenix Landing are associated with particular clubs. When Serie A games are on though, Boston’s predominantly Italian neighborhood—the North End—steps into center stage. Caffe Dello Sport and Caffe Paradiso are known as the major hubs for Italian soccer in the city.
Women’s soccer matches have their own bars and breweries that draw diehard fans for big matches. And unlike the bars mentioned above, these are spots that host watch parties for North American soccer—not European leagues. Breweries like Drawdown in Jamaica Plain and Dorchester Brewing in Dorchester are known to get packed with Boston Legacy FC supporters on matchday.
Professional Scene
When people want to take in a match live and in-person, there are plenty of options to choose from in the region. There’s professional soccer in New England from Portland down to Pawtucket, each with a unique identity.
- New England Revolution: The Revs are a founding club of Major League Soccer, at the top of the North American soccer pyramid. Modeled off a mix of European soccer clubs and American football, the Revs supporters host tailgates and meet ups at local bars before packing the stadium.
- Boston Legacy FC: Legacy FC represents Boston in the National Women’s Soccer League and is the newest addition to professional Boston soccer. With their own stadium, a women-led operation, and Brazilian star Kaká at the helm, Legacy is poised to live up to the name.
- Portland Hearts of Pine: The Portland Hearts of Pine recently wrapped up their first season of play, and nearly made it to the USL League One championship. They were one game short and eliminated on penalties. In 2026, they’ll be looking to take care of unfinished business.
- Rhode Island FC: RI FC competes in the USL Championship and won the Eastern Conference in 2024. Their brand new stadium in downtown Pawtucket will provide an excellent home base for Defiance 1636, the supporters club. Unlike the Revs, this supporters club shares more in common with Latin American supporters clubs, reflecting the immigrant community in Pawtucket and RI.
Local Play
Boston soccer isn’t limited to the professional level, plenty of amateur and pickup leagues fill fields around the Greater Boston area. There’s no better way to experience soccer culture in Boston than through playing the game itself, and with so many leagues and divisions, there’s likely a spot for even a complete newbie to join.
There are highly competitive and organized leagues like the Bay State Soccer League, which field teams consisting of former high-level players. These clubs tend to be older, established, and highly competitive. There are tryouts, club houses, coaches, and even major tournament play. BSSL teams compete in major North American tournaments like the U.S. Open Cup.
Other competitive leagues include the Casa Boston League and the Boston Strikers. Casa is similar to BSSL in that it’s meant to house some of the better amateur players in the area. The Strikers meanwhile, aren’t built around elite identity, but LGBTQIA identity. The Strikers offer a safe space for LGBTQIA athletes and allies to play competitive and fun soccer on a weekly basis.
Your Complete Boston World Cup Guide
Experience your World Cup fandom to the fullest with our Boston World Cup Guide. Find great watch parties, bars, breweries, events, and more for the 2026 tournament.
