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Soccer World Cup Prep for RI Businesses — If You Can Make Tomorrow’s Half-Day Limited-Seat Seminar
TOMORROW! The Rhode Island Business Readiness Summit: Summer of Soccer 2026 is set for Wednesday, March 11, 2026 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Bryant University’s Academic Innovation Center at 1150 Douglas Pike. Smithfield.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup expected to bring global visitors across the Northeast, Rhode Island is inviting businesses to a half-day seminar on how to prepare — the free event was announced to us a day in advance – there is limited seating and the 1/2 day event is in-person only, about 20 minutes north of Providence.
Bryant University will be a host for the Ghana Soccer Team, and the team will be staying at The Graduate in Providence.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 soccer matches will bring increased travel, tourism, and economic activity to the Northeast.
Next summer’s global soccer events are expected to generate significant regional activity, including Rhode Island. The training workshop is for businesses that are directly customer-facing or indirectly impacted, providing practical insight into what to expect and how to prepare.
A recap of the Overview Webinar on what the FIFA World Cup 2026 means for Rhode Island and the region:
The goal of the summit is to best serve Rhode Island’s business community by ensuring they are informed, connected, and prepared. They are helping Rhode Island businesses understand what to expect, how to navigate potential challenges, and where meaningful opportunities may emerge.
Key topics include:
- FIFA rules & regulations
- Staffing and operational readiness
- Supply chain and inventory planning
- Marketing and digital strategy
- Banking and cash flow considerations
- Customer experience and multicultural engagement
The goal is to help businesses “plan with confidence, operate with clarity, and position your business to capture opportunity while minimizing risk”.
The event is free. Space is limited. Register here: https://www.risbdc.org/
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Latest on the FIFA Security Fee Issue in the News:
As of March 10, 2026, there is still no final agreement resolving the standoff over roughly $7.8 million in public-safety costs for hosting 2026 World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium. Foxborough officials continue to say they will not issue the required entertainment/event license unless the town is no longer exposed to fronting (or being stuck with) the security bill.
The latest public record (through March 9–10) is that Foxborough says it was “shocked and dismayed” by claims that a deal had been reached and continues to say no agreement exists; the host committee has put in writing a two-business-day invoice payment pledge, asserts it has $2M on hand and expects at least $30M more, and points to a Kraft-backed liquidity support letter; and multiple outlets report the license decision remains headed for the March 17 Select Board meeting.
A resolution is more likely than not before or at the March 17 hearing because the downside of failure (loss of the license needed to stage matches) is catastrophic relative to the dollar amount at issue, and the parties have already moved from general assurances to draftable financial instruments (a written reimbursement timetable + a signed advance-funding commitment) that could be tightened into the kind of “no taxpayer exposure” guarantee Foxborough is demanding. The most plausible landing zone is a stronger upfront assurance mechanism (escrow/letter of credit/bond or a broadened guarantee) layered on top of fast reimbursement, because the town’s stated objection is not only eventual repayment, but the risk and cash-flow burden of being the payer of first resort for a globally sensitive security operation.
NOTE: The millions for security that are in question in Foxboro are in question in several other cities. The twist is that the federal government directs funds to the cities and it is FEMA who manages that. FEMA can’t pay because they are part of the Democratic shutdown of government. No estimate as to when this will resolve. That puts a serious damper on the contract dates being executed.
This is developing story.