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Boston's mayor, Mayor Wu, indicated that the city was prepared for a confrontation with President Donald Trump over his claim that he could order FIFA to relocate World Cup games from the stadium in Foxborough, located 22 miles south-west of the city.

Wu appeared on a Boston-based podcast recently to respond to criticism from the Trump administration, which had described her as "far-left." Trump had threatened that he would call the head of FIFA if Boston did not "improve its situation."

Much of it is locked down by contract so that no single person, even if they live in the White House, can change it.

She continued, "We're in a world where for attention, for power, to test limits ... repeated warnings ... are directed at individuals and communities who refuse to back down and comply or follow along to a divisive plan."

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

The President's Comments and FIFA Role

Earlier this week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was photographed alongside President Trump at the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. Infantino has also been to the White House and presented World Cup tournament and club championship trophies to Trump as presents.

On Tuesday, Trump was asked about recent disturbances in South Boston that included a police car being burned. He replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Gianni – the president of FIFA, who's phenomenal."

Trump continued, "I'd tell him: 'We should relocate the games' and they would do that. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it very easily." The president also specifically targeted Mayor Wu, saying, "Boston's mayor is ineffective ... she's radical left, and they're taking over parts of Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Past Threats and 2026 World Cup Details

Trump has made previous comments that he would have the similar discussion with the FIFA president about relocating matches from Seattle and San Francisco, which are part of the 16 host cities across the continent.

The US is joint hosts the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. The 48-team event is scheduled to be played from June 11 to July 19 in the coming year.