FOXBOROUGH, Mass. āThe next seven days will be one of the busiest and most exciting weeks in Gillette Stadium's 13-year history, as the venue prepares to host four major stadium events.
Immediately following the New England Patriots' preseason finale against the New York Giants on Sept. 3, a natural grass surface was installed inside Gillette Stadium for a pair of soccer matches. The New England Revolution host Orlando City FC on Saturday night (7:30 p.m.) in a regular season Major League Soccer match. Then, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the U.S. Men's National Team will host five-time World Cup champion Brazil in a friendly match (8 p.m.).
Following that match, the natural grass surface will be removed, as the organization finalizes its preparations for the NFL 2015 Season Premiere featuring the reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in primetime on Thursday, Sept. 10. Almost to the day 13 years ago, Gillette Stadium opened on Sept. 9, 2002, in exciting fashion by hosting the NFL Season Premiere featuring the Patriots and Steelers in primetime on Monday Night Football. Similar to the 2002 opening, the Patriots will kick off the NFL regular season against the Steelers as reigning Super Bowl champions. The team will celebrate its Super Bowl XLIX championship with a special pregame ceremony (8:30 p.m. kickoff). Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 8 p.m. to participate in the ceremony.
After the Super Bowl XLIX banner is unveiled and the first NFL regular season game of 2015 is played, Gillette Stadium will immediately begin its transformation into a concert venue for global superstars, One Direction, as the band brings its ON THE ROAD AGAIN 2015 stadium tour to Foxborough on Saturday, Sept. 12. The highly anticipated show begins at 7 p.m.