NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has responded after President Donald Trump threatened to pull the city’s FIFA World Cup matches next year.
“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 birthplace of freedom and the city of champions,” she said in a statement provided to PK Press Club Digital.
Boston is currently scheduled to host seven matches at the World Cup in North America next summer. The list includes five group stage matches, a round of 16 match and the first quarter-final on July 9.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a Democratic election night event, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Boston, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, file)
Trump suggested he would move the games out of Boston while speaking to reporters Tuesday as he discussed an incident in the city this week when a group of people took over one of the city’s streets during a violent protest.
According to the Boston Police Department, more than 100 people were involved in the takeover that involved street racing just after 2 a.m. on October 5. Officers found people trying to attack police cars with fireworks, cones, poles and other objects. A police car was destroyed by the flames and had to be towed away from the area, officials said.
Blue City Street takeover suspects police vehicle torched in ‘hellish’ attack on cops: union chief
“We can take them away. I love the people of Boston. And I know the games are complete, but the mayor is no good. There are worse people than her. At least she’s smart. You know, some people have extremely low IQs. That bothers me more. She’s smart, but she’s radical left,” Trump said.
Trump added that he would call FIFA President Gianni Infantino to move the games.
“The answer is yes, if someone is doing a bad job and if I feel the conditions are not safe, I would call Gianni, the director of FIFA, who is phenomenal, and I would say to him: ‘Let’s move him somewhere else,’ and he would do it. He wouldn’t like to do it, but he would do it, very easily, he would do it. And this is the right time to do it.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey addressed the violent incident in Boston on Tuesday.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
(Left) US President Donald Trump holds the World Cup trophy in the Oval Office. Trump announced that the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on August 22, 2025. (Right) Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on August 28, 2025. (Getty Images)
“I am committed to doing everything I can to address this issue,” Healey said. “This is my message today: no more.
“It won’t happen here. And if you do, you will be punished. I’m serious.”
