What to know about Trump’s threat to take World Cup games from Boston

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to relocate FIFA World Cup 2026 matches acceptable to beryllium played adjacent twelvemonth successful suburban Boston, aft suggesting that parts of the metropolis had been “taken over” by unrest.

Foxborough, Massachusetts, location to the NFL’s New England Patriots and astir 48km (30 miles) from Boston, is acceptable to signifier matches arsenic the US cohosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. Trump was asked astir Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat whom helium called “intelligent” but “radical left”.

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“We could instrumentality them away,” Trump said of the World Cup games. “I emotion the radical of Boston, and I cognize the games are sold out. But your politician is not good.”

Trump has antecedently made akin threats against San Francisco and Seattle. He repeated his Boston threats connected Wednesday.

Can Trump instrumentality distant the FIFA World Cup 2026 games?

Trump has antecedently suggested helium could state cities “not safe” for the 104-game shot tourney and change a elaborate hosting program that FIFA confirmed successful 2022. It includes games astatine NFL stadiums adjacent New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

World Cup big sites aren’t up to Trump. The 11 US cities — positive 3 successful Mexico and 2 successful Canada — are contracted with FIFA, which would look important logistical and ineligible issues to marque changes successful the 8 months earlier the June 11 kickoff.

“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” the shot body’s vice president Victor Montagliani said earlier this period astatine a sports concern league successful London.

The organisation seemed to soften its stance somewhat connected Wednesday, saying successful a connection that “safety and information are the apical priorities astatine each FIFA events worldwide” and noting that precautions are “obviously the governments’ responsibility, and they determine what is successful the champion involvement for nationalist safety”.

“We anticipation each 1 of our 16 Host Cities volition beryllium acceptable to successfully big and fulfil each indispensable requirements,” the FIFA connection added.

Trump has insisted that “if idiosyncratic is doing a atrocious job, and if I consciousness there’s unsafe conditions, I would telephone Gianni – the caput of FIFA who’s phenomenal – and I would say, ‘Let’s determination into different location’, and they would bash that.”

The president meant FIFA caput Gianni Infantino, a adjacent ally. Trump said Infantino “wouldn’t emotion to bash it, but he’d bash it precise easily”.

Speaking connected a section podcast connected Wednesday, Wu questioned however Trump could instrumentality distant the games with little than a twelvemonth to go. She said astir everything is already “locked down by contract” truthful nary azygous idiosyncratic “even if they unrecorded successful the White House presently tin undo it”.

“There’s nary quality to instrumentality distant the World Cup games,” Wu said. “There’s nary existent menace erstwhile it comes to saying cities are truthful unsafe that they can’t big the games.”

The FIFA World Cup 2026 games successful Boston

Among the 7 matches that volition beryllium played astatine Gillette Stadium successful the Boston suburb of Foxborough volition beryllium 5 radical signifier matches, 1 lucifer successful the circular of 32, and a quarterfinal lucifer connected July 9, 2026. The quality of truthful galore large games was a astonishment to section organisers.

“The aboriginal successful the tournament, the much eyeballs,” said Mike Loynd, caput of Boston’s World Cup organising committee, erstwhile the docket was announced past year. “For us, it’s conscionable a substance of excitement. … For us, it’s a cleanable schedule. I don’t deliberation FIFA could person done a amended job.”

The tourney is expected to bring $1.1bn successful section economical impact, make implicit 5,000 jobs, and make much than $60m of taxation gross passim the region, according to organisers. They besides expect that much than 2 cardinal visitors volition travel to New England passim the tournament’s 39-day span.

What is Robert Kraft’s transportation with Trump?

Gillette Stadium is operated by Robert Kraft, who owns the NFL’s New England Patriots and Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution.

Kraft served arsenic honorary seat of the United Bid Committee to assistance bring the World Cup backmost to the US. In a 2024 interrogation connected the podcast The Breakfast Club, helium described himself arsenic a “social friend” of Trump opening successful the 1990s soon aft helium purchased the Patriots. He said successful that interrogation that the lone donation he’d ever made to Trump was a “strong donation to his inauguration” pursuing his 2016 election.

But Kraft besides talented the president a diamond-encrusted Super Bowl ringing during his archetypal word aft the Patriots won the NFL’s title to headdress the 2016 season. Sitting presidents typically person gifts from sports teams during celebratory White House visits — a personalised jersey is modular — but Kraft gave Trump a ringing arsenic well, the squad confirmed astatine the time.

Kraft decided aft the team’s April 2017 sojourn to person a ringing made for Trump truthful helium would person thing peculiar to show successful his statesmanlike library, the squad said. But Kraft said successful that aforesaid 2024 Breakfast Club interrogation that helium hadn’t spoken to Trump since the January 6, 2021 onslaught by Trump supporters connected the US Capitol.

Trump takes purpose astatine Boston

Boston and its politician person been predominant targets of the Trump medication for overmuch of the year.

Trump and his allies person focused their attacks connected the city’s alleged sanctuary metropolis polices and however overmuch constabulary should enactment deportations. In September, the Trump medication sued the city, arguing its sanctuary metropolis policies are amerciable nether national instrumentality and the city’s refusal to cooperate with migration authorities has resulted successful the merchandise of unsafe criminals who should beryllium deported.

The Trump medication has already deployed US National Guard troops to Washington and Memphis, and efforts to bash truthful successful Chicago and Portland, Oregon, person sparked ineligible fights. Democratic and Republican leaders crossed Massachusetts person pushed backmost against the National Guard deployment successful Boston, and Wu, who is moving unopposed for re-election, often cites the city’s humanities debased transgression rates.

Wu touts the information that weapon unit fell to the lowest level connected grounds successful her archetypal twelvemonth successful bureau and has continued to decline. Boston saw a humanities debased fig of homicides successful 2024, a full 24 — but the metropolis has surpassed that fig truthful acold successful 2025 with 27, the constabulary section said.