Due To Pro-Palestinian Demo In Boston, Trump Wants To Intervention In Organizing The 2026 World Cup
JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, local time, threatened to move the 2026 World Cup match from Boston, some of whose territory he said had been taken over by recent riots.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home to the New England Patriots and about 48 kilometers from Boston, will host seven 2026 World Cup matches.
However, Trump thinks the city deserves to be crossed out of the list of 2026 World Cup hosts - with him referring to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat whom he calls intelligent, but left radical.
"We could have taken over those games. I love the people of Boston. I know game tickets have been sold out. However, your mayor is not good," Trump said of those matches.
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He hinted that part of the Boston area had been taken over without providing details. However, Trump added that he could get it back in about two seconds.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Boston reacted to Trump's comments by issuing an official statement.
"Boston are honored and delighted to host the 2026 World Cup games. We look forward to welcoming fans from all over the world to our beautiful city, the birthplace of freedom and the cities of the champions," Michelle Wu said in a statement.
Trump's comments came during his meeting with the President of Argentina. It's not clear what he meant. Earlier this month, several arrests were made regarding pro-Palestinian protests that led to violence in Boston Common which resulted in four police officers being injured.
Trump has previously hinted that he could declare cities unsafe for the 2026 World Cup and amend detailed plans for the FIFA's 2022 confirmation of events. The plan includes NFL stadiums near New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
The location of the organizers of the 2026 World Cup is out of Trump's control. Eleven cities in the United States - added three cities in Mexico and two cities in Canada - have been contracted by FIFA, which will face significant logistical and legal issues to make changes within eight months before matches begin on June 11, 2026.
"This is a FIFA tournament, FIFA jurisdiction. FIFA made the decision," FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani said earlier this month at a sports business conference in London.
Despite this, Trump hinted that he would intervene in the 2026 World Cup based on his interpretation of security.
"If someone does a bad job, if I feel there is an unsafe condition, I will contact Gianni Infantino. I will invite them to move to another location. They will do it again," Trump said.
Trump referred to Gianni Infantino as a close ally. The US president said Infantino would not be happy to do so, but he would do it very easily.