Mark your agendas: The road to the World Cup 2026 will officially start on Thursday, December 5 at 12:00 pm, when the last draw takes place in the iconic John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC
The largest World Cup tournament ever
The announcement came during a controversial meeting in the White House between President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, where the two leaders confirmed the date and location for next summer's showpiece. With the tournament that is being expanded for the first time to 48 teams, the draw will determine the matchups of the group stage that will form the opening phase of the largest World Cup tournament in history.
Las Vegas was previously considered the possible host city for the event, but the road eventually leads to the American capital and the recently renovated Kennedy Center.
Trump called the event 'a great honor' and emphasized the cultural significance of organizing the draw in the heart of the capital of the nation. The president of FIFA echoed the sentiment and said that the Kennedy Center will serve as the perfect stage to start with what he described as the greatest sporting event ever.
“The World Cup is the biggest sporting event. And on December 5 of this year the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place in the Kennedy Center, here in Washington DC it is a great honor to bring this event to this city with such an incredible team. The Kennedy Center will give the tournament a phenomenal kick -off,”
About the World Cup trekking from 2026
The draw determines the 12 groups for the group stage of the competition – each group will contain four teams. Among the already confirmed are the three guest countries: United States, Mexico and Canada together with Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Australia, Jordan, Ecuador and Brazil.
Infantino presents the World Cup trophy and the first ticket for President Trump
Infantino presented the World Cup Trophy to the US President in the Oval Office. Infantino called Trump 'a winner' and explained that only a select group can hold the trophy – a symbolic gesture that Trump accepted with a smile.
Infantino added: “This is the trophy that will be awarded to the winners of the World Cup. Only the FIFA president, world leaders and champions can hold it – and because you are a winner, you can touch it. The last person to lift it was Lionel Messi, and now it is here in the Ovale”.
In addition to the trophy, Infantino Trump also handed the first official ticket to the 2026 tournament, which revealed what the design of the MatchDay tickets seems to be. The ticket was labeled row 1, Seat 1 and wore the number 45/47, a nod to the unique position of Trump as the 45th and 47th president of the United States.
The moment was light, with Trump joke: “Can I keep it? Don't I think I'm back”, while I point to a place in his office where he could show the trophy