2026 World Cup draw will be held at Washington's Kennedy Center, Trump says

The gully astatine the Kennedy Center volition find the World Cup's groups and the games each squad plays successful the opening round.

President Donald Trump said Friday that the gully for the 2026 World Cup volition instrumentality spot connected Dec. 5 astatine the Kennedy Center successful Washington.

He made the announcement with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Vice President JD Vance during an lawsuit successful the Oval Office.

The U.S. is co-hosting the tourney adjacent twelvemonth with Canada and Mexico. The gully astatine the Kennedy Center volition find the World Cup's groups and the games each squad plays successful the opening round.

Trump has taken implicit the Kennedy Center, installing himself arsenic seat and replacing the committee of trustees with loyalists. He's besides hinted he'd similar to spot the venue renamed the Trump/Kennedy Center.

Asked if helium mightiness beryllium the 1 drafting squad names to find who they volition play, Trump suggested that mightiness not beryllium a atrocious idea, and Infantino seemed to hold - though that portion hasn't yet been determined.

In an antithetic move, Infantino besides brought the World Cup trophy with him to the Oval Office.

It's a superstition astir arsenic aged arsenic the World Cup itself: players connected nationalist teams astir the globe judge that touching the trophy earlier their squad really wins the tourney connected the tract tin spark atrocious luck.

Even Infantino noted that the trophy is "for winners only," but past helium added to Trump, "And, since you are a winner, of people you tin arsenic well."

The president did conscionable that, remarking, "It's beauteous heavy."

He aboriginal called the trophy "a beauteous portion of gold" and joked astir keeping it and displaying it successful the Oval Office, which Trump has redone successful a gaudy, gold-hued decor.