WASHINGTON, Aug 23 — United States (US) President Donald Trump has announced that the draw for the 2026 World Cup group stage will be held on December 5 in Washington, reported the German Press Agency (dpa).
Speaking at the White House alongside Fifa President Gianni Infantino on Friday, he said the draw ceremony will be held at the Kennedy Centre.
The World Cup is scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in the US, Mexico, and Canada. The tournament has been expanded from a composition of 32 teams previously to 48 teams, which will be divided into 12 groups.
The draw was originally slated to take place in Las Vegas, similar to the first World Cup in the US in 1994.
Infantino and Trump are reportedly close, as they held a joint news conference towards the end of the Club World Cup in the US in June and in July at Trump Tower in New York. Trump was also present for the trophy presentation ceremony after the final in New Jersey.
Trump named the World Cup "the biggest event in sport", and added in reference to the draw that "it's a tremendous honour to bring the global event and this incredible group of people and these unbelievable athletes, the best athletes in the world, to the cultural centre of our nation's capital".
By the time the group stage draw takes place, 42 of the 48 teams will be known, and the remaining six teams to be determined in play-off matches in March next year. In the meantime, there will be place-holders for the six teams during the draw.
The three host nations' teams: the US, Mexico, and Canada, qualify automatically, and 10 teams have already qualified: title holders Argentina, Australia, record winners Brazil, Ecuador, Iran, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.
