Washington’s Kennedy Centre to host 2026 World Cup draw, Trump announces
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US President Donald Trump (left) holding the Fifa World Cup trophy with Fifa president Gianni Infantino, in the Oval Office of the White House, on Aug 22.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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- Trump announced the 2026 World Cup draw will be held on December 5 at Washington's Kennedy Centre.
- The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, will be the first with 48 teams.
- The US is spending US$257 million renovating the Kennedy Centre, which will host the primary office.
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump announced on Aug 22 that Washington’s John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington will host the 2026 World Cup draw on Dec 5.
“It’s a tremendous honour to bring this global event and this incredible group of people and these unbelievable athletes - the best athletes in the world - to the cultural centre of our nation’s capital,” Mr Trump said in the Oval Office, flanked by Vice-President J.D. Vance, Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem.
“We are uniting the world, Mr President, uniting the world, here in America, and we are very proud of that,” Infantino said before letting Mr Trump hold the World Cup trophy.
Earlier on Aug 22, Mr Trump announced that the World Cup 2026 will have its primary office in the Kennedy Centre.
Mr Trump’s announcement comes as he oversees a US$257 million (S$330 million) renovation at the Kennedy Centre, which Mr Trump has said will be a centrepiece of the 250th US anniversary celebrations in 2026.
“We’re spending a lot of money, wisely, on making it really beautiful. It’s going to be beautiful again,” Mr Trump said.
The 2026 World Cup being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the first with 48 teams and will feature 104 matches.
Canada will host 13 games, including 10 in the group stage split evenly between Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico will also get 13 games, including 10 during the group stage in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. The rest of tournament will be held in 11 cities across the US.
Fifa, global soccer’s governing body, has already put boots on the ground in the US in preparation for the quadrennial spectacle having set up field offices in Miami and at New York’s Trump Tower. REUTERS
