2026 World Cup: Donald Trump will attend the draw in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump will attend a ceremony on Friday at the Kennedy Center that is at the heart of preparations for the 2026 World Cup, amid a particularly tense political climate.
The White House confirmed Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will attend Friday’s draw for the 2026 World Cup, being held this week in Washington. Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the administration, said the head of state is expected at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where the ceremony will take place. The United States is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico, and the draw is one of the key milestones in preparing the tournament.
Donald Trump has repeatedly presented the World Cup as a highlight of his second term, placing the event at the center of the commemorations for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence scheduled for next year.
These preparations are unfolding against a backdrop of political tensions, driven in part by the president’s hard line on several domestic issues. Trump has even publicly mentioned the possibility of revisiting the allocation of some matches originally planned for U.S. cities, citing his administration’s concerns about crime and how migration policies are being handled in some Democrat-run municipalities.
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