Trump’s threat to pull World Cup games from this city comes with a major catch
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to move next year’s World Cup games to the Boston suburbs after suggesting that parts of the city had been “taken over” by unrest.
Newsborough, Massachusetts, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots and about 30 miles from Boston, will host games as the United States co-hosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. Trump was asked about Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat whom he called “smart” 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 their mayor is no good.” He suggested that “they’re taking over parts of Boston” without offering details, but added that “we could take them back in about two seconds.”
via News
The Trump administration has already deployed National Guard troops to Washington and Memphis, and efforts to do so in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have sparked legal fights.
Wu’s office did not directly react to Trump’s threat, issuing a statement saying: “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 freedom and the city of champions.”
Trump’s comments came during his meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, and it was not immediately clear what he meant by seizing parts of Boston.
Earlier this month, however, there were multiple arrests in connection with a pro-Palestinian protest that turned violent on Boston Common. Four police officers were injured.
Trump previously suggested he could declare cities “unsafe” 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.
The World Cup host venues do not depend on Trump.
The 11 American cities (plus three in Mexico and two in Canada) have contracts with FIFA, which would face significant logistical and legal problems in making changes in the eight months before the June 11 start.
“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.
However, Trump said: “If someone is doing a bad job and I feel like there are unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who is phenomenal, and say, ‘Let’s move somewhere else,’ and they would do it.”
The president was referring to FIFA director Gianni Infantino, a close ally. Trump said Infantino “wouldn’t love to do it, but he would do it very easily.”
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News writer Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this report.