Crystal Dike
The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will hold in Washington on Friday, with United States President Donald Trump set to play a prominent role in a star-studded ceremony that will chart the path to glory for the world’s leading football nations.
The tournament — the first to feature 48 teams — will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, 2026, making it the most logistically complex World Cup in history. The field has expanded from the 32 teams that competed at Qatar 2022.
The draw ceremony, scheduled for 1700 GMT at the Kennedy Center, will blend sport, entertainment and politics. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has developed a close relationship with Trump, is expected to present the FIFA Peace Prize to the US president during the event. Infantino said the award will recognise “the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations.”
Supermodel Heidi Klum and American comedian Kevin Hart will co-host the ceremony, which will feature performances by the Village People, Robbie Williams and Andrea Bocelli. NFL legend Tom Brady, ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky and former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal will assist with conducting the draw.
Trump has made the World Cup a key centrepiece of both his second presidency and the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence next year. He has, however, stirred controversy by threatening to move matches away from Democratic-run cities he considers “unsafe.”
“I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, let’s move it to another location. And he would do that,” Trump said recently.
Also expected at the ceremony are Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Of the 16 venues selected for the tournament, 11 are in the United States, with three in Mexico and two in Canada. The competition will kick off at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and conclude at the MetLife Stadium outside New York City.
Political tension has already surfaced around the event. Iran had initially vowed to boycott the draw after US authorities declined visas for some members of its delegation, although Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoei will now attend.
Reigning champions Argentina, who lifted their third title in Qatar in 2022, are among the top seeds alongside Spain, Brazil, France, Germany, England, Portugal, the Netherlands and Belgium. The three host nations also occupy top-seeded positions.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who will turn 39 during the tournament, said this week he still hopes to feature. “I hope I can be there. I’ve said before that I’d love to be there,” he told ESPN.
The expanded format opens the door to several first-time qualifiers, including Cape Verde, Jordan and Curaçao. FIFA’s head of global football development, Arsène Wenger, described the 48-team format as a “natural evolution,” saying it is “the right number.”
The teams will be split into 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group and the eight best third-placed sides advancing to the round of 32. For the first time, the four highest-ranked nations — Spain, Argentina, France and England — will be kept apart until at least the semi-finals, if they all top their groups.
Six places are still to be decided through playoffs, and the winners will enter the tournament as bottom seeds. Heavyweights such as Italy — World Cup champions in 2006 but absent from the last two tournaments — could therefore pose early dangers for top sides.
Because of the tournament’s complexity, teams will only receive full details of their match venues and kick-off times on Saturday, a day after the draw.