Boston's Leader Mayor Wu Addresses President Trump's Threat to Move World Cup Matches from Boston

The mayor of Boston, Mayor Wu, indicated that the municipality was prepared for a face-off with US President Donald Trump regarding his claim that he could order FIFA to remove World Cup tournament matches from the stadium in Foxborough, located 22 miles southwest of the city.

Wu appeared on a Boston-based podcast recently to respond to comments from the White House, which had described her as "radical left." Trump had threatened that he would contact FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "clean up its act."

Much of it is secured by contract so that no single person, even the president, can reverse it.

She continued, "We're in a world where for attention, for power, for pushing the boundaries ... ongoing threats ... are issued at people and cities who stand their ground and comply or be obedient to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu also remarked, "We will keep being ourselves, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be part of a discussion that is challenging Boston's values." She finished by emphasizing her commitment for the city, saying, "Fully committed for our city."

Trump's Statements and FIFA Involvement

Earlier this week, Infantino was photographed with Trump at the international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The FIFA president has also been to the Oval Office and given World Cup and club championship trophies to Trump as presents.

On Tuesday, Trump was questioned on recent disturbances in a Boston neighborhood that involved a police vehicle being burned. Trump replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Infantino – the president of the organization, who's great."

Trump added, "I'd tell him: 'We should relocate the games' and they would do that. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it without hesitation." The president also directly criticized Mayor Wu, saying, "Their mayor is not good ... she's radical left, and they're taking over parts of Boston. That's a pretty big statement, right?"

Previous Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Details

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

The US is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with neighboring countries. The 48-team event is scheduled to be played from 11 June to 19 July in the coming year.