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The mayor of Boston, Mayor Wu, suggested that the municipality was ready for a confrontation with US President Donald Trump concerning his claim that he could order FIFA to relocate World Cup tournament matches from Gillette Stadium, situated 22 miles southwest of Boston.

Wu appeared on a local podcast recently to answer comments from the Trump administration, which had labeled her as "far-left." President Trump had threatened that he would contact FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "improve its situation."

Much of it is locked down by contract so that no single person, even the president, can undo it.

Wu continued, "We're in a world where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries ... repeated warnings ... are directed at people and cities who stand their ground and comply or follow along to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu also remarked, "We are going to continue being ourselves, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation that is challenging Boston's values." Wu concluded by stressing her support for the Boston, saying, "Ten toes down for Boston."

The President's Comments and FIFA's Role

Recently, Infantino was seen alongside President Trump at the international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. Infantino has also been to the White House and given World Cup and Club World Cup trophies to Trump as presents.

Earlier, Trump was questioned on recent disturbances in a Boston neighborhood that involved a police vehicle being burned. Trump responded, "If things aren't handled well, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Gianni – the president of FIFA, who's phenomenal."

He added, "I would say: 'Let's move into another location' and they would do that. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it very easily." The president also directly criticized Wu, stating, "Their mayor is not good ... she's radical left, and they're taking over parts of Boston. That's a pretty big statement, right?"

Past Threats and 2026 World Cup Information

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

The US is joint hosts the 2026 World Cup with neighboring countries. The expanded tournament is planned to be played from June 11 to 19 July in the coming year.