🔗 Share this article Donald Trump Threatens Removal of 2026 World Cup Matches from the Boston area, Olympics from Los Angeles Ex-president Trump has repeatedly announced he would pressure FIFA to relocate global soccer tournament matches from a venue based on that city's political climate, with Boston emerging as the third targeted location to encounter such threats from the US president. Moreover, Trump remarked he would evaluate comparable measures against Southern California for the 2028 Olympics due to potential security concerns. Legal Authority and Informal Leverage While Trump holds no direct legal authority to unilaterally remove either tournament, he can exert influence the organizing committees managing each event to change host cities. Background of Comments His remarks were made during a press event with Argentinian president Milei, who was present in the executive mansion following the revelation of a $20 billion rescue package for the South American country. At the conclusion of the meeting, a journalist questioned Trump about a recent “street takeover” in Boston where law enforcement were assaulted and a patrol car was burned. The journalist also questioned if the situation could result in the revocation of tournament responsibilities for the expanded football competition. “It's possible to take them away,” he said regarding the World Cup matches, scheduled to be hosted at Gillette Stadium. “The city's leader is poor … she’s radical left, and they are occupying sections of Boston. That’s a major statement, don't you think?” Urban Disturbances and Ideological Perceptions Street takeovers, a social media-driven phenomenon where groups of people gather on urban roads late at night to conduct vehicular acrobatics, have become a frequent nuisance in metropolitan centers since the coronavirus closures. Recent similar events have become aggressive in the region, notably in Boston. Yet, these occurrences are generally not considered linked to any particular ideological group. “When a city is doing a bad job, and I believe there’s unsafe conditions, I'd call the organization's president, who is outstanding, and suggest let’s move it to an alternate venue,” he said during the event. “He will do that. He wouldn’t love doing it, but he’d do it. Readily, he would.” Organizational Alignment FIFA President has been open his efforts to be publicly aligned with the US leader ahead of the 2026 event, set to be staged in numerous American venues across the US along with a couple in the northern neighbor and a few in the southern neighbor. The organization's leader has appeared at multiple presidential events, had Trump deliver the FIFA club trophy after the championship match, and has even postponed his own organization’s congress to travel with Trump on a trip to the Middle East this year. Previous Threats Despite this, Trump from warning about the cancellation of soccer matches from additional American venues. On September 25, Seattle and the Bay Area metropolis came under similar statements, with Trump stating both cities were “led by ideological activists who lack understanding what they're managing,” while challenging the public safety of both locales and claiming that events could be removed. FIFA Response FIFA vice-president Montagliani rebuffed Trump’s statements when he commented afterward at a event in the UK capital. “It is our competition, FIFA’s jurisdiction, we decide those decisions,” the vice-president stated. “Respectfully to national heads, the sport is transcends any individual and football will outlast their tenure and their leadership. It's the beauty of our game, that it is transcends one leader and beyond a nation.” Olympics Threat Similarly, Trump’s response to a query about the Massachusetts city veered into a parallel statement regarding the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “When I perceived the city was not going to be sufficiently organized, I'd shift it to another location if necessary,” he said. “Regarding that event I may have to secure a different kind of permission, but we would take that action.” Any approval Trump alluded to would need to come through the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Their head, Kirsty Coventry, was selected to her post in this year and has yet to meet publicly with him, although she indicated that she would like a meeting with the US figure at some point. Other Remarks Trump also questioned the state's leader Newsom’s response of recent LA wildfires, remarking that a parallel incident could lead to the relocation of the Games. “When the governor doesn’t play ball, we are going to have to be very tough,” he said. His statement was just as unambiguous for the Massachusetts city. “The city better improve their situation,” he remarked. “It's I can say.”