England and Scotland's World Cup group games at risk due to £6m stadium row with FIFA

Scotland are due to play their opening two games - against Haiti and Morocco - on the east coast of the United States. England, meanwhile, are set to face Ghana at a 60,000-seater venue in Massachusetts on June 23.

FIFA may have to find a Plan B as a row has broken out between world football’s governing body and city councils. Foxborough public officials are demanding that FIFA pay a £6 million ($8m) bill that will cover manpower and infrastructure costs.

Host cities are liable to pay for policing, safety and protection throughout the World Cup finals, with U.S. federal funds being made available to those seeking assistance when it comes to covering those costs.

The Kraft family, who own the Patriots and call the shots at Gillette Stadium, claim the ground falls under FIFA’s remit during their flagship event. FIFA are helping to oversee the replacing of an artificial playing surface with a new grass pitch.

Foxborough Select Board believe that FIFA should also be covering other costs and insist that an entertainment license - which is required in order for competitive fixtures to take place - “won’t be granted” unless cash is stumped up.

Board head Bill Yukna has said: “The town is going to stand behind the request of the money for both manpower and some capital and expense items. And if they aren’t met, then as this board has discussed in the past, the license won’t be granted. We are going to be very clear with that.”

Boston’s staging of World Cup matches has already been called into question by U.S. President Donald Trump. He has spoken out against the city’s Democrat major, Michelle Wu, and made his threats following pro-Palestinian protests that turned violent and left four police officers injured. Trump said of World Cup fixtures: “We could take them away. I love the people of Boston, and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good.”

Wu’s office issued an official statement that read: “Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup matches, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of liberty and city of champions.”

Trump has stated that he could declare any host city “not safe” if problems arise. FIFA responded by pointing out that staging rights are up to them, not the POTUS, but Trump hit back with following a meeting with Gianni Infantino: “If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni - the head of FIFA who's phenomenal - and I would say, 'Let's move into another location,' and they would do that.”

Any issues regarding Boston appeared to have been laid to rest when the official World Cup schedule was announced in December. The expectation is that a compromise will be reached that suits all parties. 

It has, however, already been revealed that a number of host cities are threatening to rein in the number of days that tournament ‘Fan Fests’ will be opened up to supporters from every corner of the planet.

FIFA had claimed that those zones would be open across the tournament, allowing fans to mingle and watch live action unfold, but local chiefs have countered those claims - with those in Boston stating that theirs could be run for “up to 16 days”.

England and Scotland will be hoping that any issues are ironed out well in advance of games that they are due to grace at Gillette Stadium, with Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions considered to be one of the favourites to savor global glory on North American soil.