NYT reveal how Trump encouraged Infantino to change venue of 2026 World Cup draw

The draw for the 2026 World Cup will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This was confirmed by Donald Trump on August 22 at the White House, accompanied by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the World Cup trophy.

However, the original venue for the December 5th event was originally set to be in Las Vegas. In fact, FIFA was in the final stretch of negotiations with The Sphere, the spectacular multimedia venue located near the iconic The Strip, but the U.S. President’s intervention was instrumental in the location switch.

According to The New York Times, Trump asked Infantino to move the event to the US capital, despite FIFA’s original intentions. The outline plan was to add some Vegas ‘glitz’ and added entertainment element to the gala, similar to the 1994 edition which was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on December 19, 1993, with star performances by James Brown and Robin Williams.

48 team tournament

The group stage draw for the first 48-team World Cup will take place in a city currently under federal surveillance declared by on August 12. While the deployment of the National Guard will theoretically last 30 days, it could be extended indefinitely if the measure has the support of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The New York Times speculated that Trump had used a recent speech to legitimize the use of federal forces on the streets of D.C., despite the fact that high-impact crimes (murders, robberies with violence) have decreased by 25% throughout 2025, according to data from the D.C. Metropolitan Police.

According to the same outlet, the change of venue would negatively impact Las Vegas, which decreased its visitor rate by 11.3% in June 2025 compared to June 2024. In fact, the U.S. Soccer Federation was planning a press conference parallel to the World Cup draw and had sent save-the-date messages to key personnel.

No World Cup games in D.C.

The U.S. capital was included in the preliminary host plan for the 2026 World Cup but ultimately, the list was gradually narrowed down to 11 cities in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada. Mexico City will be the only one of the three capitals to host matches in the championship.

13 qualified... and 35 more to go

Of the 48 spots, 13 have already been filled, including the three hosts nations.

Key FIFA World Cup qualifying matches will be staged of September, October, and November and will go some way in determining the vast majority of the qualifiers, with eight play-offs remaining in March 2026.

Mexico, the United States, and Canada have already secured their places at the World Cup; they have been joined by Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Brazil, and Ecuador. The distribution of the teams in the respective four pots will be determined a few days before the draw.

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