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The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, implied that the city was ready for a face-off with US President Donald Trump over his assertion that he could instruct FIFA to relocate World Cup matches from the stadium in Foxborough, situated approximately 35 kilometers southwest of the city.

Mayor Wu appeared on a local podcast this week to respond to criticism from the Trump administration, which had described her as "far-left." President Trump had threatened that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "address its issues."

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

Wu continued, "We're in a world where for drama, for control, to test limits ... repeated warnings ... are issued at individuals and communities who refuse to back down and comply or follow along to a hateful agenda."

Mayor Wu further stated, "We will keep being who we are, and that means, sadly, we are going to be part of a discussion that is targeting Boston's values." Wu finished by emphasizing her support for the Boston, saying, "Ten toes down for Boston."

Trump's Comments and FIFA Involvement

Recently, Infantino was seen 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 World Cup awards to Trump as presents.

On Tuesday, Trump was asked about unrest in a Boston neighborhood that involved a police car being burned. Trump replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Gianni – the president of the organization, who's phenomenal."

He continued, "I would say: 'We should relocate the games' and they would do that. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it very easily." The president also specifically targeted Wu, stating, "Their mayor is ineffective ... she's radical left, and they're taking over parts of Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Past Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Details

President Trump has previously suggested that he would have the same conversation with the FIFA president about moving matches from Seattle and San Francisco, which are part of the 16 locations across North America.

The US is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with neighboring countries. The expanded tournament is planned to be played from 11 June to 19 July next summer.