President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office on Friday that the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held on 5 December at Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Flanked by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Trump called hosting the ceremony a “tremendous honor” and lifted the tournament’s gold trophy during the televised event. The draw will set the group-stage pairings for the expanded 48-team competition, which is scheduled to run from 11 June to 19 July 2026 across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In total, 104 matches are planned, making the tournament the largest in FIFA’s history. Trump said the World Cup would inject more than $30 billion into the U.S. economy, attract about six million stadium spectators and reach an estimated television audience of six billion. He described the month-long showcase as “the largest and most complex set of events in sports history.” The Kennedy Center, which Trump installed himself to chair earlier this year, is undergoing a $257 million refurbishment funded through the administration’s tax-and-spending package. While the president joked that some already nickname the venue the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” no formal renaming has been approved.