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Boston's mayor, Michelle Wu, suggested that the city was prepared for a dispute with President Donald Trump over his assertion that he could instruct FIFA to relocate World Cup games from the stadium in Foxborough, situated 22 miles south-west of the city.

Wu appeared on a Boston-based podcast this week to respond to criticism from the Trump administration, which had labeled her as "radical left." Trump had threatened that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "address its issues."

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

Wu continued, "We're in a world where for attention, for power, to test limits ... ongoing threats ... are directed at individuals and communities who refuse to back down and submit or be obedient to a hateful agenda."

She also remarked, "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 concluded by emphasizing her commitment for the city, saying, "Fully committed for Boston."

The President's Comments and FIFA's Involvement

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

Earlier, President Trump was asked about recent disturbances in a Boston neighborhood that involved a police vehicle being burned. Trump replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Infantino – the president of FIFA, who's great."

He continued, "I'd tell him: 'Let's move into another location' and they would comply. He might not prefer it. But he would do it without hesitation." Trump also directly criticized Mayor Wu, saying, "Their mayor is ineffective ... she's far-left, and they're dominating parts of Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Previous Warnings and 2026 World Cup Details

Trump has previously suggested that he would take the same conversation with Infantino about relocating matches from other host cities, which are among the 16 host cities across the continent.

The US is joint hosts the 2026 tournament with neighboring countries. The expanded tournament is planned to be held from June 11 to 19 July next summer.