U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that the draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada will take place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
Trump made the announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in the company of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and members of his administration such as Vice President JD Vance and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The World Cup, to be held in 16 cities in the three aforementioned countries between June 11 and July 19, 2026, will have 48 participating teams, 16 more than in the editions held between 1998 and 2022.
“It’s a great honor to bring this world event and this incredible group of people and these incredible athletes, the best athletes in the world, to the cultural center of our nation’s capital,” Trump said regarding the draw to be held at the renowned venue in the U.S. capital.
Prior to the event, Trump himself visited the Kennedy Center to see firsthand the refurbishment work being carried out by his Administration on the facility.
“The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest and most complex set of events in the history of the sport, and the Kennedy Center will give it a phenomenal start,” said the president, who stressed that the World Cup is something “very big” or “like organizing several Super Bowl in a short time”.
During the event, Infantino presented Trump with the World Cup trophy, stating that it is a trophy that only “winners” like him and Leo Messi, who he said was the last to hold the trophy in his hands, usually touch.
“Considering that you are, of course, a winner, you can touch it,” Infantino told Trump, who asked if he could keep it and suggested he will keep it in the Oval Office until the World Cup is held, something he already did with the Club World Cup trophy held in the United States this summer, EFE reported.
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