President Donald Trump announced Friday that the 2026 men’s World Cup draw will take place Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center, a performing arts space in Washington, D.C.
He made the announcement from the Oval Office, next to Vice President JD Vance and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“It’s going to be the World Cup as we know it. It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports, I guess,” Trump said. “On Dec. 5 of this year, the 2026 World Cup draw will take place at the Kennedy Center.”
“Some people refer to it as the Trump-Kennedy Center, but we’re not prepared to do that quite yet, maybe in a week or so, but right here in Washington, D.C.,” he continued. “It’s a tremendous honor to bring the global event and this incredible group of people and these unbelievable athletes, the best athletes in the world, to the cultural center of our nation’s capital.”
The news comes after Trump was appointed as interim chairman of the center and made dramatic changes to the board, sparking backlash among the performance community in Washington.
The draw is the event where teams that have qualified to be competing in the World Cup will learn their group-stage opponents.
Trump will likely have a role in the draw, which also typically includes musical performances and speeches, The Athletic reported.
The games will be played across North America, with venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will begin next summer, on July 11.
Trump joked that he gave “a little” to Mexico and Canada because he was nice.
The president was asked by a reporter in the Oval Office about the uncertainty remaining around his immigration crackdown and visa process for travelers who wanted to come to the U.S. to watch games.
“They’re going to have a very easy time getting in. Certain countries are going to be very, very easy and other countries are going to be obviously a little bit more difficult,” he said.
Infantino presented Trump with the World Cup trophy, saying only “winners” are allowed to hold it.
“Can I keep it?” Trump joked.
