President Donald Trump has threatened to relocate World Cup matches set to be played next year in suburban Boston. After denying Trump could do that, FIFA softened its stance.
President Donald Trump has threatened to relocate World Cup matches set to be played next year in suburban Boston, after suggesting that parts of the city had been “taken over” by unrest.
Foxborough, Massachusetts, home to the NFL’s New England Patriots and about 30 miles from Boston, is set to stage matches as the U.S. cohosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. Trump was asked about Boston’s mayor, Michelle Wu, a Democrat whom he called “intelligent” but “radical left.”
“We could take them away,” Trump said of the World Cup games. “I love the people of Boston and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good.”
He repeated those threats Wednesday.Can Trump take away the World Cup games?
Trump has previously suggested he could declare cities “not safe” for the 104-game soccer tournament and alter a detailed hosting plan that FIFA confirmed in 2022. It includes games at NFL stadiums near New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
World Cup host sites aren’t up to Trump. The 11 U.S. cities — plus three in Mexico and two in Canada — are contracted with FIFA, which would face significant logistical and legal issues to make changes in the eight months before the June 11 kickoff.
“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” the soccer body’s vice president Victor Montagliani said earlier this month at a sports business conference in London.
The organization seemed to soften its stance somewhat on Wednesday, saying in a statement that “safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide” and noting that precautions are “obviously the governments’ responsibility, and they decide what is in the best interest for public safety.”
“We hope every one of our 16 Host Cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfill all necessary requirements,” the FIFA statement added.
Trump has insisted that “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.
