Boston's Leader Michelle Wu Addresses Trump's Threat to Move FIFA World Cup Games from City
The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, implied that the municipality was prepared for a face-off with US President Donald Trump over his claim that he could instruct FIFA to relocate World Cup matches from Gillette Stadium, situated 22 miles southwest of the city.
Mayor Wu appeared on a Boston-based podcast recently to respond to criticism from the Trump administration, which had labeled her as "radical left." President Trump had warned that he would call FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "clean up its act."
Much of it is locked down by contract so that no one, even if they live in the White House, can undo it.
Wu added, "We live in a time where for drama, for control, to test limits ... repeated warnings ... are directed at people and cities who stand their ground and submit or follow along to a hateful agenda."
Mayor Wu also remarked, "We will keep being ourselves, and that means, sadly, we are going to be in a conversation that is challenging Boston's values." She finished by emphasizing her support for the Boston, declaring, "Ten toes down for Boston."
The President's Comments and FIFA's Involvement
Recently, Infantino was photographed alongside President Trump at the international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The FIFA president has also been to the Oval Office and given World Cup tournament and Club World Cup trophies to the president as gifts.
Earlier, Trump was questioned on unrest in South Boston that involved a police car being set on fire. He replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni – the president of the organization, who's great."
He continued, "I would say: 'Let's move into another location' and they would do that. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it very easily." Trump also directly criticized Mayor Wu, saying, "Their mayor is not good ... she's radical left, and they're taking over some areas in Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"
Past Threats and Upcoming Tournament Information
President Trump has previously suggested that he would take the similar discussion with Infantino about relocating games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are among the 16 locations across North America.
The US is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. The 48-team event is planned to be held from June 11 to 19 July next summer.