U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced that the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place on 5 December at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Afrosport reports.
Trump confirmed the date and venue for the draw alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the Oval Office in the White House.
Next year’s Mundial, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first World Cup hosted by three nations and the first to feature 48 teams.
Sixteen venues have already been selected for the tournament — 11 in the US, three in Mexico and two in Canada — which will be held from 11 June to 19 July.
“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,” Trump said.
“The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest, most complex set of events in sports history. And the Kennedy Center will give it a phenomenal kickoff and will be involved.”
Infantino added: “This is this will be absolutely fantastic, the biggest event ever. And everything will start here in Washington, DC, at the Kennedy Center – or the Trump Kennedy Center,”
“The draw will be broadcast live all over the world and will be watched by one billion viewers. It will be 48 participating teams. There will be 104 matches – 104 Super Bowls!”
Forty-eight countries will be involved in the draw, with the teams drawn into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout phase, along with the eight best third-placed teams.
Alongside the three host nations, 10 teams have booked a spot in next year’s tournament: Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Brazil and Ecuador.
