Washington: The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the largest edition of football’s premier tournament, is scheduled to take place in Washington on Friday. US President Donald Trump is expected to feature at the ceremony, reflecting his close relationship with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.
The expanded 48-team tournament, up from 32 teams at Qatar 2022, will be held across the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19 next year. Trump’s attendance at the Kennedy Center ceremony, confirmed by the White House, is expected to coincide with his being named the first recipient of FIFA’s newly introduced Peace Prize, to be awarded during the draw.
Trump has made the World Cup a centerpiece of his second presidential term and of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence. However, he has raised concerns by linking World Cup matches to domestic politics, threatening to relocate games from cities he considers unsafe.
Tensions surrounding the tournament have already emerged internationally. Iran announced it will boycott the draw after several members of its delegation were denied US visas. Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian football federation, described the decision as politically motivated and urged FIFA to intervene.
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It all starts on Friday at the Final Draw.
Visit https://t.co/zJTWWlvUsi to find out where you can watch the Draw in your territory. pic.twitter.com/Dg3ZGEwl1B
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 3, 2025
The draw will place teams into 12 groups. Top seeds include Argentina, host nations United States, Mexico, and Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Cristiano Ronaldo, who will turn 41 during the tournament, has confirmed this will be his sixth and final World Cup, aiming to secure Portugal’s first title.
First-time qualifiers will include Cape Verde, Jordan, and Curacao, with six spots still to be decided through playoff matches. Italy, absent since 2014, still has a chance to qualify via two sudden-death playoff games despite a difficult qualifying campaign.
The tournament will open at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, which previously hosted the 1970 and 1986 finals, and will conclude at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. Full details of match venues and kickoff times will be released a day after the draw.
FIFA’s decision to use dynamic ticket pricing has raised concerns over ticket costs. On secondary market platforms in the US, including StubHub and SeatGeek, prices for the final in New Jersey have already reached around $7,000.
