Washington, D.C. – The stage was set at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as FIFA President Gianni Infantino took center stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw. The event, hosted by actor Kevin Hart and model Heidi Klum, was filled with pomp and circumstance as anticipation builds for the expanded tournament to be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Infantino addressed the American audience, emphasizing the magnitude of the World Cup, which is much larger than the Super Bowl. He even quipped that it was "like 104 Super Bowls in one month". The draw marks a significant milestone as the World Cup returns to the U.S. after 32 years. For the first time, 48 nations will compete across 12 groups.
The event was attended by prominent figures, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who were invited on stage to assist with the draw. Infantino took a selfie with the three world leaders.
Adding to the ceremony, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli delivered an impressive opening performance. A video reflecting on the 1994 World Cup, which was hosted by the USA, played on the big screen. Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is conducting the draw.
In a notable moment, Gianni Infantino presented Donald Trump with FIFA's newly created Peace Prize. Infantino announced the creation of the Peace Prize last month to “recognize exceptional actions for peace”. The award includes a trophy, a medal, and a certificate. Trump said that receiving the peace prize would be a great honor.
The draw itself involves dividing forty-eight nations into twelve groups of four teams. The teams were separately assigned to the first three groups. Forty-six of the qualified teams are known at the time of the draw. Six nations will compete for the final two spots in the Inter-confederation playoffs tournament in March of next year. The World Cup draw features four different pots. Pot one includes host nations the US, Canada, and Mexico with the nine top-ranked nations. Pots two, three, and four contain the next 12 best-ranked sides. Nations from the same confederation will be kept apart in the group stage, with the exception of Europe.
However, the event was not without controversy. The Iran soccer federation announced that they would not attend the draw in protest against the allocation of U.S. visas for their delegation. According to the federation's spokesperson, Amir Mehdi Alavi, FIFA president Gianni Infantino promised that steps would be taken to ensure that the full traveling party of representatives would be granted access to attend the event.
