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Boston's mayor, Michelle Wu, implied that the city was ready for a dispute with President Donald Trump over his assertion that he could order FIFA to relocate World Cup games from the stadium in Foxborough, located approximately 35 kilometers southwest of Boston.

Wu spoke on a Boston-based podcast this week to address criticism from the White House, which had described her as "far-left." Trump had warned that he would contact FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "clean up its act."

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

She added, "We live in a time where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries ... repeated warnings ... are issued at individuals and communities who refuse to back down and submit or be obedient to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu also remarked, "We are going to continue being who we are, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation that is challenging Boston's values." Wu concluded by emphasizing her support for the Boston, saying, "Ten toes down for our city."

Trump's Statements and FIFA's Involvement

Recently, Infantino was photographed with President Trump at the international summit in Egypt. Infantino has also been to the White House and presented World Cup tournament and Club World Cup awards to Trump as gifts.

Earlier, President Trump was questioned on recent disturbances in South Boston that included a police car being set on fire. He replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Gianni – the head of FIFA, who's great."

He added, "I would say: 'We should relocate the games' and they would do that. He might not prefer it. But he would do it very easily." The president also specifically targeted Wu, stating, "Their mayor is ineffective ... she's far-left, and they're dominating parts of Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Past Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Information

President Trump has made previous comments that he would have the similar discussion with the FIFA president about moving games from other host cities, which are among the 16 host cities across North America.

The United States is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. The 48-team event is planned to be played from 11 June to July 19 next summer.