Eyes of football world on 2026 World Cup draw with Trump centre stage

WASHINGTON
The draw for the 2026 World Cup takes place in Washington on Friday, with Donald Trump set to play a prominent part in a star-studded ceremony that will map the path to glory for contenders at the first-ever 48-team finals.
The most logistically complex World Cup in history will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in Qatar in 2022.
The ceremony at the Kennedy Center starts at 1700 GMT and reaches far beyond football, with several of the biggest stars in the American sporting world participating while Trump takes centre stage.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has developed a close relationship with Trump, visiting the White House several times.
Now the US president is expected to be the first ever recipient of the FIFA Peace Prize, which will be awarded during the draw ceremony, “to recognize the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations”, as Infantino put it.
The draw will be co-hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum and American actor and comedian Kevin Hart, and feature performances by the Village People, Robbie Williams and Andrea Bocelli.
NFL legend Tom Brady, ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky and former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal will be among the stars helping to conduct the draw.
Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.
But he has not hesitated to inject domestic politics into the preparations, threatening to move World Cup matches from Democratic-run cities if he deems conditions “unsafe”.
“I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, let’s move it to another location. And he would do that,” Trump said recently.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will also be present at the ceremony.
Eleven of the 16 World Cup venues are in the United States, with three in Mexico and two in Canada.
The tournament will kick off at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and culminate at the MetLife Stadium outside New York City.