The FIFA World Cup is coming to North America next summer, and soccer fans across the globe now have an idea of when they will learn of their country’s opponents.
President Donald Trump is set to announce on Friday that the 2026 World Cup draw will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., this December, according to a White House official.
Trump has been increasingly involved in FIFA activities in the buildup to the 2026 World Cup. He attended the FIFA Club World Cup Final earlier this summer at MetLife Stadium, which will also be the site of the FIFA World Cup Final on July 19, 2026. He has also been speaking regularly with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, with whom he has grown friendly, a senior White House official told NBC News.
President Donald Trump remained on stage as Chelsea gathered as a team to lift the trophy, celebrating their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup victory.
The 2026 World Cup will feature two firsts. It will be the first World Cup with three host countries in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and it will be the first to feature a 48-team field.
The U.S. has 11 host cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Bay Area and Seattle. Mexico has three hosts in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey. Canada has two hosts in Toronto and Vancouver.
The World Cup will kick off in Mexico with two matches on June 11, 2026. The U.S. men’s national team will play its first Group D match on June 12, 2026, at SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium) in Inglewood, California. The USMNT will play its second match on June 19, 2026, at Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium) before returning to L.A. for its group play finale on June 25, 2026.
FIFA projections, shared by a White House official, say the quadrennial tournament will draw 6 million fans to matches and drive $30 billion into the U.S. economy.
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President Donald Trump met with members of his appointed World Cup task force on Tuesday as he ensures the 2026 edition will be the “best run soccer tournament the world has ever seen.”
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