Trump announces Kennedy Center to host 2026 FIFA World Cup draw; ‘But we’re not prepared to…’

The draw will be held on Dec. 5, Trump said Friday during an announcement ceremony in the Oval Office, with the golden World Cup trophy sitting on the Resolute Desk. The event will determine the match schedule for the tournament, which is held every four years.

“It’s a tremendous honor to bring the global event, and this incredible group of people and these unbelievable athletes — the best athletes in the world — to the cultural center of our nation’s capital,” the president said. “Some people refer to it as the Trump Kennedy Center, but we’re not prepared to do that quite yet.”

Trump has become increasingly involved in both the global soccer tournament and the storied arts institution, as he seeks to put his imprint on the nation’s cultural life.

When Trump attended FIFA Club World Cup

The president this summer attended the final FIFA Club World Cup, a de facto test run for next year’s contest, at MetLife Stadium. He has also hosted FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House multiple times, including for Friday’s announcement.

Infantino told Trump that the World Cup trophy “is for winners only” and “since you are winner, of course you can as well touch it.” Trump lifted up and asked if he could keep it, adding “we’re not giving it back.”

Infantino during a prior visit gifted Trump the original Club World Cup trophy.

The 2026 World Cup is the first to be hosted in three countries: the US, Mexico and Canada. The run-up, however, has been marked between trade tensions sparked by Trump’s decision to hike tariffs on imports from the North American neighbors.

Trump has injected himself into the professional sports world since returning to the White House in January, calling for the NFL’s Washington Commanders and MLB’s Cleveland Guardians to adopt their old team names that were offensive to Native Americans. Trump has also attended numerous sporting events, including the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and UFC fights.

Sports leagues have also been more willing to deal with Trump compared to his first term, when some championship teams shunned White House visits and his golf properties lost hosting opportunities for high-profile tournaments.

He has touted the US’s host status of the World Cup as well as the 2028 Olympics as evidence of the country’s revival under his leadership. The PGA Tour announced this week it would return to his golf course in Doral, Florida next year after a multiyear hiatus.

Trump has also sought to lift the profile of the Kennedy Center since taking over as chairman earlier this year, when he ousted the board and installed loyalists. That broke with decades of bipartisan governance of the performing arts complex.

Trump has also vowed to “fully renovate” the center, including replacing seats and fixing infrastructure, using $257 million from his signature tax and spending bill to make it “a crown jewel of American arts and culture.” Earlier Friday, Trump said he would repaint the building’s iconic golden columns a different color.

The president also signaled that the World Cup could have a “primary office” in the center, without providing more details.

The Kennedy Center hosts a variety of cultural programming, including theater, opera, ballet, and orchestral music, and is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.

The shakeup is part of Trump’s efforts to exert control of the nation’s capital, which is overwhelmingly Democratic. Earlier this month, he seized control of the city’s police department and deployed National Guard troops to crack down on what he portrayed as out-of-control crime and blight. The move came despite Justice Department data showing violent crime reached a 30-year low in Washington last year.

The president’s changes to the Kennedy Center have drawn backlash from the arts world, causing prominent performers to cancel events and the hit musical Hamilton to abandon plans for a production.