WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was in attendance for 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, the event revealing the matchups for next summer’s tournament in North America.
Trump arrived about 30 mins before the draw was scheduled to begin, popping up on the red carpet with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Once inside the building, Trump sat in the audience with the First Lady while Infantino took the stage to get the ceremony underway.
Before the drawing of teams began, Trump was awarded the inaugural ‘FIFA peace prize,’ a new annual honor that was announced after Trump didn’t win the esteemed Nobel Peace Prize. Following an extended video honoring Trump, Infantino presented him with a medal and the trophy, gushing over the American president before handing him the mic.
‘This is truly one of the great honors of my life,’ Trump said after receiving the award.
Trump joked that the United States is unique in calling the sport ‘soccer’ rather than ‘football’ like most of the world.
‘We never call it that because we have another conflict with a thing called football,’ Trump said. ‘But when you think about it, this is football, there is no question. We have to come up with another name for the other one. It really does not make sense when you think about it.’
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney were also in attendance with the three countries co-hosting the World Cup. Trump returned to the stage with Carney and Sheinbaum to assist with the draw and officially place the host nations in their pre-determined groups. Trump told the crowd about watching Brazilian legend Pele when he played for the New York Cosmos in the late 1970s.
The American president has taken on a public-facing role in World Cup preparations since beginning his second term, becoming quite friendly with Infantino, who has appeared with Trump multiple times this year. Trump also attended the summer Club World Cup final, sitting in a suite with the FIFA boss, and ended up standing on the stage during trophy celebrations, much to the bewilderment of the players.
Trump is expected to be handed the inaugural ‘FIFA peace prize,’ a new award that was announced after the U.S. president didn’t win the esteemed Nobel Peace Prize.
The Village People are performing ‘Y.M.C.A’ live at the event, a song that became something of an anthem for Trump through the years and one of his favorite numbers to dance to.
On the red carpet, Trump said the U.S. is ‘ready to host’ next summer and that Infantino has done a ‘fantastic job,’ congratulating FIFA on early World Cup ticket sales.