President Trump said Tuesday that Boston could lose its 2026 FIFA World Cup matches if he feels there are “unsafe conditions” in the area.
A reporter asked the president at the White House if the matches could be moved after a recent “street takeover” in the city, in which police said more than 100 people blocked traffic and torched a Boston police cruiser.
“We could. We could take them away,” Mr. Trump said. “I love the people of Boston. I know the games are sold out, but your mayor is, is not good.”
Boston World Cup matches
Seven World Cup matches are scheduled to be played next June and July at Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium, which will be known as “Boston Stadium” during the tournament. Foxboro is more than 20 miles southwest of Boston.
World Cup tickets officially went on sale earlier this month, and millions of soccer fans applied for a chance to buy them. The economic impact in the Boston area is estimated to be several hundred million dollars.
Mr. Trump first mentioned the possibility of moving World Cup matches out of certain cities last month. FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani reacted by saying, “With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them.”
“Football will survive their regimes, their government, their slogans,” Montagliani said.
Recent violence in Boston
Earlier this month, police said, more than 100 people met in the streets of Boston’s South End, blocking traffic and attacking cruisers before setting one on fire.
Days later, 13 people were arrested during a protest that got out of control. Four officers were injured, and one required facial reconstructive surgery.
Last week, Governor Maura Healey condemned the street takeovers, including one in Fall River and another in Randolph. However, she said any intervention by the president is a distraction.
“This is a lot of political theater on the part of President Trump, who I think is trying to distract from the failing agenda around the economy, maybe Epstein files, I don’t know,” Healey said last week.
President Trump on Mayor Wu
On Tuesday, the president also talked about Mayor Michelle Wu, saying he feels there are worse mayors than her, but “at least she’s intelligent.” The Trump administration has deployed the National Guard to some Democratic-run cities in recent months, citing safety concerns.
“She’s intelligent, but she’s radical left, and they’re taking over parts of Boston,” he said. “We could get them back in about 2 seconds. All she has to do is call us. We’ll go in and take them back, but she’s afraid to because she thinks it’s bad politically.”
Mr. Trump suggested that if he felt Boston was unsafe, he could call FIFA President Gianni Infantino and tell him to move the matches.
“He’d do it, and this is the right time to do it,” Mr. Trump said. “Boston better clean up their act. That’s all I can say.”
Wu responded to the president’s comment with a public 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.”
WBZ-TV reached out to FIFA for comment but did not hear back.
