Boston Mayor Mayor Wu Counters Trump's Warning to Relocate FIFA World Cup Matches from City

Boston's mayor, Michelle Wu, indicated that the city was ready for a face-off with President Donald Trump regarding his claim that he could order FIFA to relocate World Cup games from Gillette Stadium, situated 22 miles south-west of Boston.

Mayor Wu appeared on a local podcast this week to address criticism from the Trump administration, which had described her as "far-left." President Trump had threatened that he would call FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "clean up its act."

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

She added, "We live in a time where for drama, for control, to test limits ... repeated warnings ... are directed at individuals and communities who stand their ground and comply or be obedient to a hateful agenda."

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 what Boston stands for." She finished by stressing her support for the Boston, declaring, "Ten toes down for our city."

Trump's Comments and FIFA's Involvement

Earlier this week, Infantino was seen with President Trump at the international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The FIFA president has also visited the Oval Office and presented World Cup and Club World Cup trophies to Trump as presents.

On Tuesday, Trump was asked about recent disturbances in South Boston that involved a police vehicle being burned. He responded, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Infantino – the head of the organization, who's great."

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

Previous Threats and 2026 World Cup Information

Trump has made previous comments that he would take the similar discussion with Infantino about moving games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are among the 16 locations across North America.

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