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Boston's mayor, Mayor Wu, suggested that the municipality was prepared for a dispute with US President Donald Trump concerning his assertion that he could order FIFA to relocate World Cup matches from Gillette Stadium, located 22 miles south-west of the city.

Mayor Wu appeared on a Boston-based podcast this week to respond to comments from the Trump administration, which had labeled her as "far-left." President Trump had warned that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "improve its situation."

Much of it is secured by agreement so that no one, even the president, can reverse it.

She added, "We live in a time where for attention, for power, to test limits ... ongoing threats ... are directed at people and cities who refuse to back down and submit or follow along to a hateful agenda."

Mayor Wu further stated, "We will keep being ourselves, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be part of a discussion that is challenging Boston's values." She finished by stressing her support for the Boston, saying, "Ten toes down for Boston."

The President's Statements and FIFA Role

Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was seen with Trump at the Gaza summit in Egypt. Infantino has also been to the White House and given World Cup and Club World Cup trophies to the president as presents.

Earlier, President Trump was questioned on recent disturbances in South Boston that included a police car being set on fire. He replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Gianni – the head of FIFA, who's phenomenal."

He continued, "I would say: 'Let's move into another location' and they would comply. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it very easily." Trump also specifically targeted Wu, stating, "Boston's mayor is not good ... she's far-left, and they're taking over some areas in Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Past Threats and Upcoming Tournament Information

Trump has made previous comments 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 tournament with neighboring countries. The 48-team event is planned to be played from June 11 to 19 July in the coming year.