Boston Mayor Michelle Wu pushed back after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to move FIFA World Cup matches out of the Boston area, citing safety concerns.
The city is preparing to host seven matches next summer, including a quarterfinal, when the tournament comes to North America.
“Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup matches, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of liberty and city of champions,” Wu said in a statement.
Highlights
- Trump threatened to move the 2026 World Cup games from Boston, citing safety and criticizing Mayor Michelle Wu’s leadership.
- Mayor Michelle Wu pushed back, highlighting contractual protections and committing Boston to standing firm on its values.
- Boston is set to host seven matches, including a quarterfinal, all at Gillette Stadium during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- Trump said he would contact FIFA President Infantino to discuss relocating games, though FIFA controls the final decision.
Mayor Michelle Wu fired back after Trump threatened to move FIFA World Cup games out of Boston
Image credits: Danielle Parhizkaran/Getty Images
Her response came a day after Trump told reporters he might urge FIFA to relocate the games.
He criticized Wu’s leadership and raised concerns about recent unrest in the city.
“We can take them away. I love the people of Boston. And I know the games are sold out, but the mayor is not good,” Trump said.
“There are worse than her. At least she’s intelligent. You know, some are extremely low IQ. Those bother me more. She's intelligent, but she’s radical left.”
This is not the first time Trump and Wu have clashed. In August, Wu stood up to Trump over immigration and told the Department of Justice that “Boston will not back down” after threats to pull funding from cities labeled as “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
Trump threatened to move the games, citing unrest in the city and a radical left mayor
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
Wu responded to Trump’s recent comments on the local podcast Java with Jimmy on Wednesday.
“Much of it is locked down by contract so that no single person, even if they live in the White House currently, can undo it,” Wu said.
“We’re in a world where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries … ongoing threats … are issued to individuals and communities who refuse to back down and comply or be obedient to a hateful agenda.”
She continued, “We are going to continue to be who we are and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation in a way that is targeting Boston’s values. Ten toes down for Boston.”
While Trump threatened to have the games canceled, the decision-making is outside his jurisdiction and belongs to FIFA. Trump, however, added that he would call FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“The answer is yes, if somebody’s doing a bad job, and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, ‘Let’s move it to another location,’ and he would do that. He wouldn't love to do it, but he’d do it, very easily he’d do it. And this is the right time to do it.”
Trump said FIFA President Gianni Infantino would listen to him and ‘easily’ change the venue
Image credits: Suzanne Plunkett/Getty Images
Trump’s remarks referred to a violent incident where more than 100 people took over a Boston street for street racing in the early hours of October 5.
The street racing took place just after 2 a.m. when people attacked police cruisers with fireworks, cones, and poles. They managed to burn down one police cruiser, needing it to be towed away.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey also addressed the incident on Tuesday.
“I'm committed to doing everything I can to get after this issue,” Healey said. “That's my message today: No more. Not going to happen here. And if you do it, you're going to be punished. I’m serious.”
Boston is scheduled to host five group-stage matches, one round-of-32 match, and a quarterfinal on July 9, 2026.
All games are set to take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, about 30 miles southwest of the city.
Image credits: Erica Denhoff/Getty Images
Trump’s threats have raised questions, but the decision over host cities belongs to FIFA, not the White House.
The 11 U.S. cities chosen to host World Cup matches, along with three in Mexico and two in Canada, signed contracts with FIFA in 2022. There would be significant logistical and legal issues and changing these.
“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani said earlier this month at a sports business conference in London.