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Boston's mayor, Mayor Wu, suggested that the municipality was ready for a dispute with US President Donald Trump over his assertion that he could instruct FIFA to relocate World Cup matches from the stadium in Foxborough, located 22 miles south-west of Boston.

Mayor Wu spoke on a local podcast recently to address comments from the White House, which had described her as "far-left." Trump had threatened that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "improve its situation."

Much of it is locked down by agreement so that no one, even if they live in the White House, can undo it.

She added, "We live in a time where for attention, for control, to test limits ... ongoing threats ... 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 are going to continue being who we are, and that means, sadly, we are going to be part of a discussion that is targeting Boston's values." She concluded by stressing her support for the city, declaring, "Ten toes down for our city."

The President's Comments and FIFA's Role

Earlier this week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was photographed with Trump at the international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. Infantino has also been to the Oval Office and presented World Cup tournament and Club World Cup awards to Trump as presents.

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

He continued, "I would say: 'We should relocate the games' and they would do that. He might not prefer it. But he would do it without hesitation." The president also directly criticized Mayor Wu, stating, "Boston's mayor is not good ... she's radical left, and they're taking over parts of Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Previous Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Information

Trump has made previous comments that he would have the same conversation with the FIFA president about relocating games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are among the 16 locations across the continent.

The US is joint hosts the 2026 tournament with neighboring countries. The expanded tournament is planned to be held from June 11 to July 19 next summer.