Boston's Leader Mayor Wu Counters Trump's Threat to Relocate World Cup Matches from Boston

The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, suggested that the municipality was ready for a face-off with President Donald Trump regarding his claim that he could order FIFA to remove World Cup matches from Gillette Stadium, situated 22 miles south-west of the city.

Mayor Wu appeared on a local podcast recently to address comments from the Trump administration, which had described her as "radical left." Trump had threatened that he would call the head of FIFA if Boston did not "address its issues."

A great deal of it is locked down by agreement so that no one, even the president, can change it.

Wu added, "We're in a world where for drama, for control, to test limits ... ongoing threats ... are issued at people and cities who refuse to back down and comply or be obedient to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu also remarked, "We will keep being who we are, and that means, sadly, we are going to be part of a discussion that is challenging what Boston stands for." She finished by emphasizing her support for the Boston, saying, "Ten toes down for Boston."

Trump's Comments and FIFA's Role

Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was photographed alongside President Trump at the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The FIFA president has also visited the White House and presented World Cup and club championship awards to Trump as gifts.

On Tuesday, Trump was questioned on recent disturbances in South Boston that involved a police car being burned. He responded, "If things aren't handled well, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni – the head of FIFA, who's great."

Trump added, "I would say: 'Let's move into another location' and they would comply. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it without hesitation." Trump also directly criticized Wu, stating, "Their mayor is ineffective ... she's radical left, and they're dominating parts of Boston. That's a pretty big statement, right?"

Previous Threats and 2026 World Cup Details

President Trump has previously suggested that he would take the same conversation with Infantino about relocating games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are part of the 16 host cities across the continent.

The United States is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. The expanded tournament is scheduled to be played from June 11 to 19 July in the coming year.