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The mayor of Boston, Mayor Wu, suggested that the municipality was ready for a dispute with US President Donald Trump concerning his claim 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 recently to address comments from the White House, which had labeled her as "radical left." Trump had warned that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "improve its situation."

A great deal of it is secured by agreement so that no single person, even if they live in the White House, can change it.

She added, "We live in a time where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries ... repeated warnings ... are issued at people and cities who refuse to back down and submit or follow along to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu also remarked, "We will keep being who we are, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation that is targeting what Boston stands for." She concluded by stressing her support for the city, saying, "Fully committed for Boston."

The President's Comments and FIFA Role

Earlier this week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was seen with President Trump at the international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. Infantino has also been to the White House and given World Cup tournament and club championship awards to the president as gifts.

On Tuesday, President Trump was questioned on recent disturbances in South Boston that included a police car being burned. 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 phenomenal."

He 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 directly criticized Mayor 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 Information

Trump has previously suggested that he would have the similar discussion with Infantino about relocating matches 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 48-team event is scheduled to be played from June 11 to 19 July next summer.