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Boston's mayor, Mayor Wu, indicated that the city was prepared for a face-off with President Donald Trump concerning his assertion that he could instruct FIFA to relocate World Cup tournament matches from Gillette Stadium, located 22 miles southwest of Boston.

Wu spoke on a Boston-based podcast this week to respond to comments from the Trump administration, which had labeled her as "far-left." Trump had warned that he would call FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "address its issues."

Much of it is locked down by contract so that no single person, even if they live in the White House, can undo it.

She continued, "We live in a time where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries ... ongoing threats ... are issued at people and cities who refuse to back down and submit or follow along to a hateful agenda."

She further stated, "We will keep being ourselves, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation that is challenging what Boston stands for." Wu finished by emphasizing her support for the Boston, declaring, "Fully committed for Boston."

The President's Comments and FIFA Role

Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was seen with President Trump at the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. Infantino has also been to the White House and given World Cup and club championship trophies to the president as presents.

On Tuesday, Trump was asked about recent disturbances in a Boston neighborhood that included a police car being burned. He responded, "If things aren't handled well, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni – the head of the organization, who's phenomenal."

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 directly criticized Wu, saying, "Their mayor is ineffective ... she's far-left, and they're dominating parts of Boston. That's a pretty big statement, right?"

Past Warnings and 2026 World Cup Details

Trump has previously suggested that he would have the similar discussion with the FIFA president about moving matches from other host cities, which are part of the 16 host cities across North America.

The US is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. The expanded tournament is scheduled to be played from June 11 to 19 July in the coming year.