Preparations for Boston Legacy’s NWSL debut in 2026 appear to be in full swing. Since being announced as the league’s 15th franchise, the club has made significant progress. It now seems to be only a matter of time before the countdown begins for their first match. However, just when everything seemed to be going according to plan, Boston has been hit with a major setback concerning its home venue arrangements.

For context, the upcoming team has been renovating a dilapidated dedicated home ground, called the White Stadium in Boston’s Franklin Park, which was initially set to be complete just before they were in line to kick off its first game. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, there have been some slight delays in the redevelopment of its proposed stadium.

A statement was shared by Boston on X that read: “After nearly two years of community process, including more than 70 public meetings and a clear victory at trial, White Stadium construction is well underway, but will not be finished by March of 2026.” Hence, that only saw the club select the Gillette Stadium as its temporary and alternate venue until the White Stadium gets fully developed.

Boston believes the stadium, which is also home to MLS’ New England Revolution and the NFL’s New England Patriots, will deliver the “high-level experience” for its ardent fans and players alike. “It is a world-class facility that fulfills NWSL requirements for field specifications, capacity, and broadcast capabilities, and will provide a thrilling gameday experience for our fans in 2026,” added the statement.

Hence, with the construction still underway, Boston assured that the completion of the White Stadium can be expected by 2027, a completely different launch date that eventually was set for March 2026, just when the team was about to begin its debut season. Then again, it’s not just the construction issues that forced the venue’s extension.

It has faced some other setbacks as well, which also includes an ongoing lawsuit from a local conservancy group aiming to halt construction. Demolition of the old facilities began earlier this year. But as Boston NWSL will be looking to navigate from all these setbacks, in the meantime, it’ll be bracing itself to play in the Gillette Stadium—a 65,000-seat venue with artificial turf primarily used for American football.

The stadium’s owners, the Kraft Group—who also own the New England Revolution and the Patriots—issued a statement to ESPN through a spokesperson regarding Boston Legacy’s arrival at their facility, saying: “After being approached by the club, Gillette Stadium was proud to support the team and provide a world-class venue for Boston Legacy FC and its fans in order to promote the advancement of women’s professional soccer in New England.”

Either way, it is quite a bittersweet update regarding the much-anticipated debut of Boston Legacy. At least, the good thing is that even though they ended up witnessing a major setback in its dedicated venue, the new expansion side was able to solve the problem. Not to mention how the past few months have already seen them endure a significant amount of trouble.

Boston Legacy shared a fair share of challenges before its NWSL debut

To begin with, the club’s previous name, “Bos Nation FC,” had sparked a significant controversy and was deemed one of its major missteps. Following backlash from a problematic launch, stakeholders were forced to reconsider a full rebranding of the 15th NWSL franchise. Apparently, their “Too Many Balls” ad campaign was met with strong disapproval, as many believed it overly targeted Boston’s male-centric sports culture.

Furthermore, the campaign was widely condemned for being tone-deaf and perceived as transphobic. That ultimately prompted the Boston Unity Soccer Partners to release a public apology, also making a quick fix to its name, which we bet still sounds better than what they proposed earlier. Unfortunately, the challenges didn’t stop there.

In February, club CEO Linda Pizzuti Henry unexpectedly withdrew her investment from Boston Unity Soccer Partners—the ownership group behind Boston’s 2026 NWSL expansion team. Pizzuti had formally notified fellow stakeholders of her intention to step away from the project.

Then again, on a positive note, they did appoint Amina Bulman as their first Chief Revenue Officer. A Boston native, Bulman previously served as the Chief Brand & Strategy Officer for the NFL’s Washington Commanders. So, in a nutshell, Boston’s NWSL team has faced its fair share of challenges. However, they also seem to have a clear path forward. For now, we await their debut at Gillette Stadium while their dedicated venue awaits final approval.