President Donald Trump hosted several world leaders and the FIFA president at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Friday for the World Cup final draw ceremony, where teams find out who they will face in the first round of games next year.
The red carpet event was attended by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as the leaders of the other two host countries for the 2026 games. The event featured a performance from Andrea Bocelli, who is one of Trump’s favorite opera singers.
A record 48 teams will participate in the competition next year. There are 42 countries already confirmed to be playing and playoffs will determine the final six slots.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivered remarks and introduced Trump as the recipient of the World Cup’s peace prize. The president, who has lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize, was given the award from Infantino, who has also said Trump was snubbed of the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year.
“The FIFA Peace Prize is presented annually on behalf of the billions of football loving people from around the world to a distinguished individual who exemplifies an unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity throughout the world through their notable leadership and action,” Infantino said on stage beside Trump.
FIFA awarded Trump the honor in recognition of his “exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace and unity around the world.” The president then received a gold medal and trophy.
Trump thanked his family and first lady Melania Trump when he accepted the award. He thanked Sheinbaum and Carney for their friendship and “coordination.”
“But most importantly, I just want to thank everybody,” he said, noting that it is “truly one of the great honors of my life.”
Each of the three national leaders joined Infantino on stage for the ceremony and shared why they were excited to host the World Cup.
“It is the biggest deal, Gianni, you know, it’s the No. 1 sport for Canadian boys and girls. Two-thirds of the country watched the last World Cup and we are partnered with the United States and Mexico, welcoming the world,” Carney said.
Sheinbaum said Mexico is proud to host the World Cup for the third time, as it previously hosted games in 1970 and 1986.
“Mexico is an extraordinary, beautiful, magical country and millions will visit our nation,” she said in Spanish. “Also, I want to tell you that we have extraordinary, hardworking and special people. We have enjoyed the ball game since ancient times.”
Sheinbaum will host the 2026 World Cup’s opening match in Mexico City on June 11, 2026. After the draw, it was revealed Mexico will face off against South Africa in the opening game.
Infantino noted that the World Cup games in the U.S. will coincide with the country’s 250th birthday. Trump replied with a joke about Americans calling the game soccer and how there’s a “little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football” in the U.S.
“I just want to congratulate you, what an incredible leap this has been,” Trump said to Infantino on the rise of popularity in the sport in the U.S.
The presidents then participated in the first step of the World Cup draw, where Sheinbaum, Carney and Trump drew their respective countries to place them in different groups.
The draw divides the 48 teams into 12 groups of four. They will be labeled Group A, Group B and so on until Group L. It uses a pot system, with four different pots to draw from.
The three host nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico, are all in Pot 1. Other countries in Pot 1 are the remaining best-ranked countries in the world, including Spain, Brazil and others. Each of the remaining pots includes the next set of ranked teams with Pot 4 including the lowest-ranked teams plus the playoff teams who have yet to be decided.
Each group will have one team from each pot. Mexico is in Group A, Canada is in Group B and the United States is in Group D. The remaining teams from Pot 1 will be placed in different groups through Friday’s draw, meaning the best-ranked teams from around the world will not face off against Mexico, Canada and the U.S. until later stages in the tournament, giving the host countries a bit of an advantage.