Donald Trump announced Friday that the draw for the 2026 men’s World Cup will be held on 5 December at Washington’s Kennedy Center – and suggested he may even take part himself.
The US president made the announcement in the Oval Office alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino and vice-president JD Vance. The ceremony will determine the 12 groups and opening fixtures for the first World Cup to feature 48 teams.
“It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports,” said Trump, 79, wearing a red hat reading: Trump Was Right About Everything. Infantino likened the month-long tournament to “104 Super Bowls”, prompting Trump to add: “Some of them are bigger than Super Bowls, actually.”
The 2026 finals will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. The tournament begins on 11 June at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium and ends on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Washington is not among the 16 host cities, but Trump has turned the Kennedy Center into his personal fiefdom, installing himself as chair, replacing its board with loyalists and floating the name “Trump-Kennedy Center”.
Infantino carried the World Cup trophy into the Oval Office, breaking a superstition that only past winners should touch it. “It’s for winners only,” he said, before handing it to Trump. The president fumbled momentarily before placing it on his desk. “That’s a beautiful piece of gold,” Trump said. “Can I keep it?” Infantino later presented him with a giant ticket marked Row 1, Seat 1 for the final.
Trump also used the event to tout his federal crime crackdown in Washington, where he has deployed the National Guard and taken control of the city’s police force. “It’s going to be very safe,” he said. “Gianni, you can walk down the street with your beautiful wife … if you can get a reservation.”
Asked if he would draw the team names himself, Trump smiled and deferred to Infantino. “It’s a very interesting proposal,” the Fifa chief replied.
The choice of venue ends months of speculation that the draw might land in Las Vegas, which staged the 1994 ceremony headlined by Stevie Wonder. This time, 42 of the 48 qualifiers will be known by December, with the final six decided in playoff matches next March.
Trump went further, suggesting Russian president Vladimir Putin “wants to be there very badly” for the finals, though “it may depend on the outcome of peace efforts in Ukraine.”
The Republican, who won re-election in 2024, has redecorated the Oval Office in gilded tones since returning to power. The Kennedy Center, now undergoing a $257m renovation, will double as Fifa’s new US headquarters. Trump has called it a showpiece for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations next year.
Fifa has also expanded its US presence, opening offices in Miami and New York’s Trump Tower.