President Donald Trump made a threat on Tuesday to move the 2026 World Cup matches scheduled for the Boston suburbs, suggesting parts of the city have been "taken over" by disorder, AP reported. Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the New England Patriots, is where the games are slated to take place as the US cohosts the tournament with Canada and Mexico. The threat by Trump followed a question about Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat whom he called "intelligent" yet "radical left."
"We could take them away," Trump said before stating, "I love the people of Boston and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good." Although he gave no specifics, he asserted that "they're taking over parts of Boston," adding a promise that "we could get them back in about two seconds."
The Trump administration has already deployed National Guard troops to both Memphis and Washington, and legal disputes have arisen from efforts to deploy them in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago. Wu's office did not directly address the president's threat; instead, they released a statement: "Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup matches, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of liberty and city of champions."
Trump also threatened to move the Olympics from Los Angeles over similar concerns.
"If I thought LA was not going to be prepared properly, I would move it to another location if I had to," he said. "On that one I'd probably have to get a different kind of a permission, but we would do that," Trump said on the 2028 Games, although such a decision ultimatley rests with the International Olympic Committee.
Trump's statement was made during his meeting with Argentina President Javier Milei, and the exact meaning of his reference to parts of Boston being seized was initially unclear. The statement follows several arrests and injuries to four police officers during a violent pro-Palestinian protest on Boston Common earlier this month, according to the AP.
Trump previously suggested he might declare cities "not safe" for the 104-game soccer tournament and alter a detailed hosting arrangement that FIFA confirmed back in 2022. This plan includes holding matches at NFL stadiums located near New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the AP said.
The authority to select World Cup host sites does not belong to Trump. FIFA has contracts with the 11 US cities – in addition to three in Mexico and two in Canada – and the organization would face substantial legal and logistical challenges to implement changes only eight months before the June 11 kickoff. FIFA's vice president Victor Montagliani said earlier this month at a sports business conference in London, "It's FIFA's tournament, FIFA's jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions," AP reported. Nonetheless, Trump asserted, "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." The president was referring to FIFA head Gianni Infantino, who is a close ally. Trump indicated that Infantino "wouldn't love to do it, but he'd do it very easily," the AP concluded.
