The United States, Canada, and Mexico are preparing to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with sixteen cities spanning the whole continent going all out to host this monumental event. In Boston, signs of the event are already popping up, with South Station being decked out in banners and signs.

Many residents of Boston are excited for the tournament, as the last time the city hosted was for the 1994 World Cup. Some residents even have a personal stake in the World Cup, as their home nations have qualified for the tournament.

Massachusetts is home to the most significant population of Cape Verdeans in the United States, with over 70,000 residents living mostly in the Greater Boston area. This makes the Cape Verde national team’s first ever qualification much more exciting, as they will have a tremendous amount of support from loyal fans. However, not everyone shares the hype surrounding the World Cup.

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to remove World Cup games from any cities that he declared “not safe”. He spoke about removing Boston’s seven games, including a quarter-final match, citing that Boston and other cities are unsafe. Trump also openly criticized Boston mayor Michelle Wu and her political stance. 

“I love the people of Boston, and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good,” Trump said, “She’s intelligent, but she’s radical left.”

FIFA’s vice president, Victor Montagliani, pushed back on Trump’s desire to remove the matches. 

“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” Montagliani said.

Despite this, Trump has indicated that he still may move games if he sees fit. 

“If someone is doing a bad job, and I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni [Infantino], the head of FIFA, who is phenomenal, and say let’s move it to another location,” Trump said.

Since Trump returned to office in January, Infantino has grown closer with him, allowing him to keep the Club World Cup trophy in the Oval Office. Trump presented a replica to the victors, Chelsea, after the final in July. However, his presence during the trophy lift confused players. 

“I knew he was going to be here but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy,” Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer said.

Moving a host city close to the tournament date would present challenges–tickets for the World Cup have already gone on sale, and the first two phases of ticket purchases have concluded. If the games were moved, it is unclear what would happen to people who have already bought tickets.

Trump cited safety concerns for his wish to relocate the games, but others believe that it is because of the liberal majority in Boston and other cities like Seattle and San Francisco.

All of these cities have Democrat mayors who are critical of Trump. He also mentioned that he could move the 2028 Olympics from Los Angeles.

President of FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 Mike Loynd has been active in the funding for the tournament, and has encouraged for the money to arrive from the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

NBC reported that the group is still waiting on the $20 million supplemental spending proposal. They need at least $5 million more to support the public transportation to Gillette Stadium. This would help the Commuter Rail to run smoothly.

“It certainly would be scaled down, if not very limited, if we didn’t have the funding from the state,” Loynd said. 

He explained that without the money, Boston 26 would have to tone down the peripheral World Cup events like fan celebrations and operational services. 

While the final decision is FIFA’s to make, Trump’s close relationship with Infantino, as well as his position as President, could cause changes to the event. If Trump decides to let the tournament take place in Boston, these budget problems could cause issues for fans and organizers. With all of these challenges, fans may face the reality that the 2026 World Cup might not be as thrilling as promised.