2026 World Cup draw will be held at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5

The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5 at noon ET.

“The Kennedy Center will give it a phenomenal kick-off,” President Donald Trump said in announcing the details, “and we’ll be involved.”

Trump was joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday. The draw had previously been reported to be headed for Las Vegas. All qualified teams will learn their group stage opponents for the 2026 World Cup via the draw. The tournament has expanded from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 edition.

Host nations Mexico, Canada and the United States will be automatically placed in Groups A1, B1 and D1, respectively, while 42 of the 48 participating teams will be confirmed by that date. The remaining six berths will be decided through FIFA’s intercontinental playoff tournament in March 2026.

Infantino shared his excitement about the Kennedy Center venue in a statement.

“We are excited to host the most anticipated Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup in history in the cultural and entertainment heart of the United States, the Kennedy Center in Washington,D.C," Infantino said. "The draw is a major tournament milestone and one that will continue the remarkable build-up to the biggest sporting event ever, as we get set for many landmark FIFA events across North America throughout 2026.

"We look forward to welcoming the team delegations, our partners, global media, and, uniquely, fans representing each of the 16 wonderful host cities, to the capital of the United States for this significant occasion.” 

The Athletic reported that the shift from Las Vegas to D.C. was largely due to the strong relationship between Infantino and Trump. Other cities also vied for the right to hold the draw, including Monterrey and Vancouver.

FIFA and Vegas also have historic ties as it was the city that hosted the 1994 draw, which featured Dick Clark hosting and Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and James Brown all performing. The Kennedy Center in the nation's capital hosts 2,000 events a year. 

FIFA will now await for its highly-anticipated draw in December.