11/06/2026
⚽️🏟️🗣️ CHELSEA STUDENTS TO WALK ONTO WORLD CUP FIELD WITH PLAYERS AT BOSTON STADIUM
CHELSEA, Massachusetts — June 11, 2026
A group of Chelsea students is getting the kind of World Cup experience most soccer fans can only dream about.
Eighteen elementary and middle school students from Chelsea Public Schools have been selected to walk onto the field with players before select FIFA World Cup matches at Boston Stadium in Foxborough. For these students, the World Cup is not just coming to Massachusetts. They are becoming part of it.
🔴 THE OPPORTUNITY
The students will participate in FIFA’s Player Es**rt Program, the tradition where children walk onto the field with players before a match begins.
If you have ever watched a World Cup game and seen kids standing beside players during the national anthems, that is the program. This summer, Chelsea students will get to do that in front of thousands of fans and a worldwide audience.
🔵 THE STUDENTS
The students selected are in elementary and middle school, ranging from second through fifth grade.
They are connected to the opportunity through Chelsea Public Schools’ partnership with Soccer Without Borders, a program that uses soccer to help students build friendships, confidence and community.
One student, 8-year-old Valentina Lopez, told local station WHDH she is already practicing how she will react when the cameras find her on the field. She said she grew up watching FIFA with her father and always dreamed of being part of that world. Now, she gets her chance.
🟢 A FAMILY MOMENT
For Valentina’s father, Alejandro Lopez, the moment carries deep meaning. He told WHDH the opportunity is something families do not get every day. As a family with Costa Rican roots, he said Valentina’s participation feels like a proud moment of representation — not only for their family, but also for their heritage and their Chelsea community.
🟡 WHY THIS MATTERS TO CHELSEA
Soccer is deeply connected to Chelsea’s culture.
Chelsea Public Schools Superintendent Almudena Abeyta told WHDH that soccer is important to many families in the district and reflects the cultures represented in the city’s schools.
In a community made up of families from Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond, this opportunity is about more than a walk onto the field. It is about local children being seen on one of the biggest stages in the world.
🟠 THE WORLD CUP IN MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Stadium, the temporary World Cup name for Gillette Stadium, will host several matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The scheduled matches include:
• Haiti vs. Scotland — June 13
• Scotland vs. Morocco — June 19
• England vs. Ghana — June 23
• Norway vs. France — June 26
• A Round of 32 match — June 29
• A Quarterfinal match
Some of the Chelsea students are expected to participate during those matches.
🟣 THE BIGGER PICTURE
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest in tournament history, with 48 teams, 104 matches and three host countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.
For Chelsea families, though, the moment will be personal. While the world watches the players, they will be watching their children step onto the field and become part of World Cup history.
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Sources: WHDH 7News, Boston 25 News, Chelsea Public Schools, Soccer Without Borders.
