President Donald Trump announced Friday that the Kennedy Center, or the “Trump-Kennedy Center” as he sometimes refers to it, will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw on December 5.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino joined Trump, who helped secure North America as the venue for the 2026 World Cup during his first term, for the announcement in the Oval Office.
“It’s a tremendous honor to bring the global event and this incredible group of people and these unbelievable athletes, the best athletes in the world, to the cultural center of our nation’s capital,” he added.
Trump stressed the scope of the World Cup, equating it to a series of “Super Bowls” as Infantino has done.
“The World Cup draw will set up the group stage of competition; 48 teams will play in 104 games across 16 North American cities, from Seattle to Vancouver to Atlanta to Miami. It’s going to be so exciting for our country,” he said.
“The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be one of the largest and most complex events…In a way, it’s like — Gianni said it better — it’s like having many Super Bowls in a short period of time because each one of these games essentially is a Super Bowl,” he added.
The Kennedy Center will give the World Cup festivities “a phenomenal kick-off,” Trump said, adding the event is projected to inject $30 billion into the U.S. economy while producing nearly 200,000 jobs in the United States in a short period.
Infantino, who brought the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup trophy to the White House earlier this year, presented Trump with the FIFA World Cup trophy on Friday.
“Only the FIFA president, 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 touch it,” Infantino told Trump, adding that soccer superstar Lionel Messi was the last to hoist it.
Trump, who has revamped the Oval Office with gold decorations and trimming, asked Infantino, “Can I keep it?” drawing laughter from the room.
“It fits well here, I think, until we have to give it to the next winner,” Infantino said.
Infantino also presented Trump with a ticket to the World Cup final.
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