The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup officially kicked off in dramatic fashion on August 22, 2025, as U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Washington D.C.’s iconic John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts would host the tournament’s official draw this coming December. The event, staged in the grandeur of the White House’s Oval Office, was anything but an ordinary press conference. With FIFA President Gianni Infantino by his side and a packed room of journalists, Trump seized the moment to intertwine global football with his signature political showmanship, setting the stage for what he called the most significant sporting event in history.
“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,” Trump declared, his words echoing through the ornate chamber. The draw, scheduled for December 5, 2025, will determine the early matchups for the expanded 48-team tournament, which is set to begin on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City. The United States will host a whopping 78 matches, while co-hosts Canada and Mexico will each stage 13 games.
Trump wasted no time touting the economic windfall the World Cup is projected to bring. “This will drive more than $30 billion into the U.S. economy and create 185,000 American jobs in a short period of time,” he stated, referencing FIFA’s projections. He emphasized the global scale of the spectacle, noting that 6 million fans are expected to travel to North American host cities, while an estimated 6 billion people will watch from home. The numbers are staggering—arguably, nothing else in sports even comes close.
The announcement, however, quickly veered from football to politics, as Trump justified his administration’s recent 30-day federal takeover of Washington’s police force. “The FIFA World Cup draw will now take place in a very safe capital, where visitors won’t have to worry about walking down the street,” he said, painting a picture of a city transformed under his watch. He even went as far as to call Washington a “crime-infested rat hole,” despite data showing that crime rates had actually declined in 2024 and 2025 prior to the federal intervention. Trump’s rhetoric was as fiery as ever, and he didn’t shy away from targeting other cities either, promising that “Chicago’s a mess… That’ll be our next one after this,” and even mentioning New York in the same breath.
As the event unfolded, FIFA President Gianni Infantino took the opportunity to promote the launch of ticket sales in September, while U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem made brief remarks about logistics and travel. Noem assured fans, “We’ll make sure they get their travel documents, their visas.” Yet, when pressed by a reporter about concerns over visa wait times and rejections, Trump interjected with characteristic bluntness. “For people from certain countries, traveling to the World Cup will be very, very easy. And other countries are gonna be, obviously, a little bit more difficult.” The implication of selective visa policies hung in the air, adding a layer of controversy to the proceedings.
But it wasn’t all talk of policy and security. In a moment that blended symbolism with spectacle, Infantino handed Trump the coveted FIFA World Cup trophy—a privilege usually reserved for FIFA presidents, heads of state, and, of course, the tournament’s champions. “Only the FIFA presidents, presidents of countries, and then those who win can touch it because it’s for winners only. And, since you are a winner, of course, you can as well,” Infantino said. Trump, grinning, hefted the trophy and quipped, “It’s pretty heavy.” He later mused, “It’s a beautiful piece of gold,” and joked about keeping it for display in the Oval Office, which he has famously redecorated in lavish, gold-toned style. “Can I keep it?! We’re NOT giving it back! It’ll fit very well on the wall over there,” he exclaimed, drawing laughter from the room.
The ceremonial pageantry continued as Trump was presented with the first ticket to next year’s World Cup final—a gesture that underscored the close relationship between the White House and FIFA for this tournament cycle. Infantino, for his part, seemed content to let Trump have the spotlight, even as the president suggested that the Kennedy Center could be renamed the “Trump Kennedy Center” within a week. The moment captured the unique dynamic of this World Cup cycle: a global football festival taking shape under the unmistakable influence of American—and particularly Trumpian—politics.
Throughout the nearly hour-long event, Trump’s focus shifted repeatedly from the World Cup to a litany of other topics: wars and tariffs, Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, the Epstein files, border security, and the supposed failings of U.S. cities and their leaders. He even referenced his recent meeting with Putin in Alaska, noting, “Depending on what happens, he may be coming [to the World Cup final], and he may not.” The president’s remarks were peppered with characteristic bravado and off-the-cuff humor, as when he commented on his border wall: “It’s gonna be very hard to climb that sucker.”
Despite the political theater, the significance of the day was not lost on the football world. The 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to be the largest in history, not just in terms of teams and matches, but in its economic, cultural, and geopolitical footprint. With the United States at the center of the football universe, the tournament will showcase not only the world’s best players but also the country’s ability to host a truly global event—albeit one shaped by the distinctive style of its current president.
As the countdown to December’s draw begins, anticipation is building in cities across North America. Host cities are preparing for a massive influx of fans, and teams are eagerly awaiting the matchups that will define their World Cup journeys. For now, though, all eyes are on Washington D.C., where the Kennedy Center will soon transform from a hub of arts and culture into the epicenter of world football.
With ticket sales set to launch in September and logistical preparations underway, the stage is set for a World Cup unlike any other. Whether the tournament will ultimately be remembered for its football or its politics remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already making headlines, and the world will be watching as the story continues to unfold.
