President Donald Trump announced that the 2026 World Cup draw will be held at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center.
The president revealed the news on Friday, noting that “it’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports, I guess.” The draw will take place on December 5 – and Trump didn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of overseeing the event himself. He said the Kennedy Center will “give a phenomenal kickoff and we’ll be involved,” and when asked if he’d be drawing the team names, he said FIFA President Gianni Infantino “was the boss.”
Infantino noted that Trump offered a “very interesting proposal” and said he would discuss the matter further with the president.
The United States is co-hosting next year’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico. For the first time, the World Cup will feature 48 teams – an increase from 32 – and Infantino said the teams will play 104 matches in one month. During the draw, 42 of the 48 teams will be known, with the remaining six teams determined by playoffs in March.
While there was speculation that the draw would be held in Las Vegas – like when the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994 – FIFA has agreed to the Kennedy Center, which has been taken over by Trump. Since his inauguration, Trump has installed himself as the chair and replaced the board of trustees with loyalists. The venue has faced extreme controversy, with many worried about its future as Trump has called for an end to any “woke” or LGBTQ+ productions.
| READ: How President Trump’s Travel Ban Effects Travel for World Cup, Olympic Games |
Following Trump’s travel ban, there has been much speculation regarding how certain countries will be able to enter the U.S. for the World Cup. The travel ban includes Iran, which has qualified for the World Cup. According to the policy, the ban excludes “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting events as determined by the secretary of state.” However, the ban does not exempt fans.
On Friday, Trump first said that the process would be smooth, however, then added: “Certain countries are going to be very, very easy, and other countries are going to be obviously a little bit more difficult.”
