🔗 Share this article

Boston's mayor, Mayor Wu, suggested that the city was prepared for a confrontation with President Donald Trump regarding his claim that he could instruct FIFA to relocate World Cup matches from the stadium in Foxborough, situated approximately 35 kilometers southwest of Boston.

Wu spoke on a local podcast recently to answer criticism from the White House, which had labeled her as "radical left." President Trump had threatened that he would call the head of FIFA if Boston did not "clean up its act."

A great deal of it is secured by contract so that no one, even if they live in the White House, can undo it.

She continued, "We live in a time where for attention, for control, to test limits ... repeated warnings ... are directed at people and cities who stand their ground and submit or follow along to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu also remarked, "We are going to continue being who we are, and that means, sadly, we are going to be in a conversation that is challenging what Boston stands for." Wu finished by emphasizing her commitment for the Boston, declaring, "Fully committed for our city."

The President's Comments and FIFA's Role

Recently, Infantino was photographed with Trump at the Gaza summit in Egypt. The FIFA president has also been to the White House and presented World Cup and club championship trophies to the president as gifts.

On Tuesday, President Trump was asked about unrest in South Boston that included a police car being burned. He responded, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Infantino – the head of the organization, who's phenomenal."

He added, "I'd tell him: 'Let's move into another location' and they would do that. He might not prefer it. But he would do it without hesitation." Trump also directly criticized Mayor Wu, saying, "Boston's mayor is not good ... she's far-left, and they're dominating some areas in Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Previous Warnings and 2026 World Cup Details

Trump has made previous comments that he would take the similar discussion with the FIFA president about relocating games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are among the 16 host cities across North America.

The United States is joint hosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. The expanded tournament is scheduled to be held from 11 June to 19 July next summer.