FIFA are facing the worrying possibility of relocating SEVEN World Cup fixtures from Gillette Stadium, as a funding disagreement persists with just four months remaining until the tournament kicks off.

England vs Ghana is amongst seven matches scheduled to take place at the venue, home to the NFL's New England Patriots and MLS's New England Revolution. Scotland's opening two World Cup fixtures since 1998, against Haiti and Morocco, are also slated to be held there - alongside Norway's encounters with France and either Bolivia, Iraq or Suriname. Gillette Stadium is additionally set to stage a round of 32 clash and a quarter-final. However, the town of Foxborough is threatening to withhold the required entertainment licence unless its security expenses are met.

The stadium is located in Foxborough, which falls within the Boston metropolitan area, though 22 miles southwest of the city centre. Despite this distance, owing to FIFA's regulations on stadium sponsorships, it will be referred to as 'Boston Stadium' throughout the tournament.

A town meeting was held on Tuesday night with members of the Foxborough Select Board, who are tasked with providing guidance and establishing policy, alongside FIFA representatives. Director of venue operations Kevin Clark and Boston 2026 host committee president Mike Loynd were grilled by board members during questioning.

Chair Bill Yukna pressed Loynd: "Is FIFA, who is going to be the licensee, are they in the end responsible if nothing else comes through on this?" Loynd responded, "That's sort of a broad question," prompting board member Mark Elfman to shoot back: "It's really not."

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Elfman also stated: "I gotta be honest with you, it baffles my mind that you guys are sitting here in front of me right now and how we still have no idea where this money's coming from."

Vice chair Stephanie McGowan made their position crystal clear, declaring: "We're not prepared to issue this license unless everything is in place. I'm gonna tell you, this board will not issue this license."

Their demand centres on securing the estimated $7.8million (£5.79million) in security funding upfront from organisers. Foxborough refuses to commit taxpayers' money based solely on promises of future reimbursement.

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McGowan continued: "How does anybody expect that we would do this for someone who's coming into our town for 39 days, making all these demands, and then you guys are gonna go away. Then once there is no Boston26... well, who are we gonna sue?"

Yukna emphasised that they remain open to issuing a licence should all issues be resolved. The chair stated: "We want nothing more than to be able to just sign on the dotted line and know that when the events start, our problems aren't about the money."