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Boston's mayor, Mayor Wu, suggested that the municipality was ready for a confrontation with US President Donald Trump over his assertion that he could order FIFA to relocate World Cup tournament matches from the stadium in Foxborough, situated approximately 35 kilometers south-west of the city.

Mayor Wu appeared on a Boston-based podcast recently to address criticism from the White House, which had described her as "far-left." Trump had threatened that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "clean up its act."

Much of it is secured by contract so that no single person, even the president, can undo it.

She added, "We're in a world where for attention, for control, for pushing the boundaries ... repeated warnings ... are directed at people and cities who refuse to back down and submit or be obedient to a divisive plan."

She also remarked, "We are going to continue being ourselves, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be part of a discussion that is targeting what Boston stands for." Wu concluded by emphasizing her support for the Boston, saying, "Fully committed for our city."

The President's Comments and FIFA's Role

Recently, Infantino was seen with President Trump at the international summit in Egypt. Infantino has also visited the White House and given World Cup tournament and club championship awards to the president as presents.

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

Trump 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 without hesitation." Trump also specifically targeted Mayor Wu, saying, "Their mayor is ineffective ... she's radical left, and they're dominating parts of Boston. That's a pretty big statement, right?"

Previous Threats and 2026 World Cup Details

President Trump has made previous comments that he would take the same conversation with Infantino about moving matches from other host cities, which are among the 16 locations across the continent.

The US is joint hosts the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. The 48-team event is scheduled to be held from 11 June to July 19 in the coming year.