Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump announced Friday that the draw for the 2026 World Cup will be held in Washington on December 5 — and then jokingly asked if he could keep the golden trophy for himself. The draw for the 48-team football championship will be held at the Kennedy Center in the US capital, where Trump recently installed himself as chairman in what he called a war on “woke” culture.
“It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports,” Trump, flanked by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, said as he made the announcement in the Oval Office of the White House. The 2026 World Cup is being hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico next year, and Trump has made a big deal about it happening during his presidency.
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Infantino, who has fostered close ties with the billionaire US president, brought the World Cup with him for the announcement and even let Trump get his hands on it. “Only the FIFA president, presidents of countries, and then those who win can touch it, because it’s for winners only. And since you are a winner, of course you can as well touch it,” Infantino said.
“Can I keep it?” replied Trump, who won a second term in the White House last year, as he lifted the trophy with both hands. “That’s a beautiful piece of gold.” Trump appeared to be joking — although the separate FIFA Club World Cup trophy remains in the Oval Office more than a month after English side Chelsea won it in New Jersey last month.
There was a brief moment of nerves as Trump appeared to fumble the World Cup before placing it on his desk — as Infantino reached out a hand to steady it. Infantino later presented the US leader with a giant ticket — Row 1 Seat 1 — for the World Cup final on July 19 at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York.
Trump also suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin may attend the World Cup. Holding up a photo that he said Putin had sent him after their summit in Alaska last week, Trump said the Kremlin chief “wants to be there very badly,” but that he “may be coming and he may not” depending on the outcome of Ukraine peace efforts.
The United States was named as a joint host of the 2026 World Cup during Trump’s first term as president in 2018. He lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden but won a second term last year. Since his return to power, Trump has launched a major crackdown on immigration, but he said it would be “very easy” for most World Cup fans to get a visa. For visitors from some countries, it would be “obviously a little bit more difficult,” said Trump, who has banned all travelers from 12 nations including Afghanistan, Haiti, and Iran.
The World Cup draw was reportedly due to be held in Las Vegas, but the new venue has more political overtones. Trump led a takeover of the Kennedy Center earlier this year, saying that the venerable performing arts venue named after late Democratic president John F. Kennedy had become too “woke.” He added on Friday as he made the announcement that “some people refer to it as the Trump-Kennedy Center, but we’re not prepared to do that quite yet, maybe in a week or so.”
Trump visited the Kennedy Center just before the Oval Office announcement on Friday. He has said he is going to make major improvements to “beautify” it, including adding marble cladding. The US president also hailed a major federal crime crackdown in Washington that has seen US National Guard troops deployed on the streets of the capital. Trump said the move would make Washington safe for football fans visiting the city during next year’s tournament.
© 2024 AFP
