US President Donald Trump will attend the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Kennedy Center on Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing.
The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament with Canada and Mexico. Following the draw ceremony, FIFA will release the updated match schedule for the World Cup.
The Final Draw will bring together coaches and officials from all qualified teams — and those still in contention — at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where they will learn their group-stage opponents.
According to the draw procedures, the host nations — Canada, Mexico and the United States — will be placed in Pot 1. The remaining 39 qualified teams will be assigned to four pots of 12 teams each, based on the FIFA Men’s World Ranking issued on November 19.
The two placeholders from the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament, along with the four European play-off placeholders, will be placed in Pot 4.
FIFA will unveil the updated 2026 World Cup schedule 24 hours after the draw, which will reveal the 12 groups of four teams each in the expanded tournament.
The ceremony will be led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who will be joined by FIFA Legends and representatives of all 42 qualified teams, as well as those still competing for the remaining spots. The show will also confirm the venues and kick-off times for all 104 matches.
The final version of the match schedule will be released in March, once the FIFA and European play-offs conclude and the last six qualification slots are filled.
–IANS
