White Stadium Construction Could Bleed Into Inaugural Season

Another setback for the professional women's soccer club debuting in 2026

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

White Stadium, BOS Nation FC’s future home, may not be ready in time for the start of the club’s inaugural season, as it is now slated for completion in the spring or summer of 2026.

The City of Boston shared the updated construction timeline in a public meeting on Thursday:

• Winter 2024 - Early Spring 2025: Demolition phase

• Spring 2025 - Winter 2026: Construction phase

• Spring/Summer 2026: Construction complete

The city and team previously maintained that the stadium would be done in time for the start of the NWSL season in March 2026, but permitting, transportation planning, and changes in design have delayed the start of construction.

When the Boston Parks Commission approved the demolition in August, the Mayor’s Office said the city was working on signing the lease by early fall with demolition starting soon after. An updated timeline in an October transportation meeting marked demolition and construction starting in the late fall.

The partnership has yet to sign a lease, which needs to be done before demolition begins, though city officials in Thursday’s meeting said the lease and construction management plans are being finalized. A live camera feed will eventually be available on the city’s website to provide real-time updates on the construction site.

The public meeting mainly focused on the city’s tree removal plan, which would occur before demolition. Boston’s recent tree canopy ordinance requires a survey of all city-owned trees on a construction site with a trunk three inches in diameter or wider. A public hearing must also be held before trimming or removing any healthy trees.

The City of Boston plans to remove 145 trees around White Stadium, including 30 that are deemed healthy. The rest of the trees are in poor condition, invasive, non-native, or causing structural conflict.

In an attempt to offset the loss, the city will plant 500 trees in Franklin Park over the next ten years; 67 of those trees will be within the project site and planted on “day one”.

Boston residents, park goers, and environmental advocacy groups are heavily pushing back on the plan. Several believe the removal will have more of a negative impact on the current and next generation of park users compared to any benefit received from new trees. A BPS contractor said it would take about 50 years for the new trees to grow to an equivalent size as the ones that currently surround the stadium.

Team representatives were not available for comment during the meeting and BOS Nation FC did not respond to requests for comment regarding what it plans to do if the stadium is not playable when it enters its inaugural season.