President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that he might move World Cup matches scheduled for Boston in 2026, citing concerns over the city’s leadership and recent unrest. Boston is among the U.S. cities set to host seven matches as part of the 2026 World Cup, which will be cohosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
When asked about Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Trump called her “intelligent” but described her as “radical left.” He said, “We could take them away,” referring to the games. “I love the people of Boston and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good.”
Trump added that “they’re taking over parts of Boston,” but did not provide specifics. He also claimed, “we could get them back in about two seconds.” Wu’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The remarks came during Trump’s meeting with Argentina’s president, and it was unclear what specific incidents he referenced. Earlier this month, there were arrests after a pro-Palestinian protest on Boston Common turned violent and resulted in injuries to four police officers.
Trump has previously raised the idea of declaring cities unsafe for the 104-game tournament and changing FIFA’s established hosting plan. The current plan, confirmed by FIFA in 2022, designates NFL stadiums in several U.S. cities as well as venues in Mexico and Canada.
However, decisions about host sites rest with FIFA, not the U.S. president. Victor Montagliani, FIFA’s vice president, recently stated at a conference in London: “It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions.”
Despite this, Trump said: “If somebody is 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 into another location’ and they would do that.” He referred to Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, whom he described as a close ally. Trump added that Infantino “wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it very easily.”
The administration has already deployed National Guard troops to Washington and Memphis in response to unrest; similar moves in Chicago and Portland have led to legal challenges.
