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Former President Trump has repeatedly announced he would urge FIFA to relocate upcoming World Cup matches from a host city based on municipal political climate, with Massachusetts now being the most recent urban area to face such threats from the US president. Additionally, Trump suggested he would evaluate comparable measures against Southern California for the 2028 Summer Games due to potential security concerns.

Official Power and Possible Pressure

While Trump holds no official jurisdiction to unilaterally remove either tournament, he may lobby the respective governing bodies overseeing each tournament to change venues.

Setting for Statements

These statements were made during a media briefing with Argentina's leader Milei, who was present in the presidential residence following the revelation of a multibillion-dollar financial assistance for the Latin American country. Near the end of the meeting, a media member asked Trump about a recent public disturbance in Boston where law enforcement were assaulted and a cruiser was set on fire. The reporter also wondered if the situation could result in the revocation of tournament responsibilities for the expanded World Cup.

“We could take them away,” he remarked concerning the World Cup games, scheduled to be staged at the Massachusetts arena. “The city's leader is ineffective … they're radical left, and activists are dominating areas of downtown. It's a significant claim, don't you think?”

Urban Disturbances and Public Safety Concerns

Street takeovers, a online-fueled occurrence where large crowds assemble on urban roads late at night to perform stunts, have emerged as a ongoing nuisance in metropolitan centers since the Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns. Latest incidents have become aggressive in Massachusetts, notably in the city. However, these occurrences are usually not considered associated with any specific political ideology.

“If someone is doing a bad job, and I perceive there are security risks, I will call the FIFA head, who is phenomenal, and say we should relocate it to a different city,” Trump commented during the event. “And he would do that. He wouldn’t love the action, but he would comply. Readily, he’d do it.”

FIFA Relationship

Gianni Infantino has publicly acknowledged his attempts to be publicly aligned with the US leader prior to the 2026 event, set to be staged in multiple US locations across the America along with a couple in the northern neighbor and multiple in the southern neighbor. The FIFA president has been present at various White House functions, facilitated Trump hand over the Club World Cup cup after that tournament’s final, and has even delayed his the group's assembly to travel with Trump on a visit to the Arab region earlier in 2025.

Earlier Warnings

Nevertheless, Trump from warning about the relocation of World Cup matches from additional American venues. On September 25, Seattle and the Bay Area metropolis faced parallel statements, with Trump claiming both urban centers were “governed by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing,” while questioning the security conditions of both cities and suggesting that games could be removed.

Organizational Statement

Victor Montagliani dismissed Trump’s assertions when he commented subsequently at a conference in England.

“This is FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, we decide those decisions,” the vice-president said. “With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and soccer will survive their tenure and their leadership. That is the essence of our game, that it is transcends a single person and beyond any country.”

LA Games Warning

Similarly, Trump’s answer to a question about the Massachusetts city extended to a parallel statement regarding the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“In case I thought the city was failing to be adequately ready, I will shift it to another location if I had to,” he remarked. “Regarding that event I might have to get a different kind of consent, but we will do that.”

Any approval Trump refers to would must come via the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The leader, Kirsty Coventry, was selected to her post in this year and has yet to meet publicly with Trump, but she said that she would like a meeting with Trump at some point.

Further Comments

The former president also condemned California governor Newsom’s management of the California fires, saying that a similar situation could lead to the cancellation of the Olympics.

“When he doesn’t play ball, we will have to be strict,” the former president stated.

His statement was similarly unambiguous for the Massachusetts city.

“The city must address these issues,” he remarked. “That’s all my message.”