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The mayor of Boston, Mayor Wu, indicated that the municipality was prepared for a dispute with US President Donald Trump regarding his assertion that he could instruct FIFA to remove World Cup matches from the stadium in Foxborough, situated 22 miles southwest of Boston.

Wu spoke on a local podcast recently to respond to comments from the White House, which had described her as "radical left." Trump had threatened that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "clean up its act."

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

Wu added, "We're in a world where for attention, for power, to test limits ... repeated warnings ... are issued at individuals and communities who refuse to back down and comply or follow along to a divisive plan."

She also remarked, "We will keep being ourselves, and that means, sadly, we are going to be in a conversation that is challenging what Boston stands for." She concluded by stressing her support for the Boston, declaring, "Ten toes down for Boston."

The President's Comments and FIFA's Involvement

Earlier this week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was photographed with President Trump at the international summit in Egypt. Infantino has also visited the White House and presented World Cup tournament and club championship awards to Trump as gifts.

On Tuesday, Trump was questioned on recent disturbances in a Boston neighborhood that included a police vehicle being set on fire. He responded, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Gianni – the head of the organization, who's great."

Trump added, "I'd tell him: 'Let's move into another location' and they would do that. He might not prefer it. But he would do it very easily." Trump also specifically targeted Mayor Wu, stating, "Boston's mayor is ineffective ... she's radical left, and they're taking over parts of Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Past Threats and 2026 World Cup Details

Trump has previously suggested that he would have the same conversation with Infantino about relocating games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are among the 16 host cities across North America.

The United States is joint hosts the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. The expanded tournament is scheduled to be played from June 11 to 19 July in the coming year.