At the World Cup draw, soccer gets its moment and Donald Trump gets his prize
With world leaders in attendance, musical artists filling the time, sports stars making small speeches, the president receiving a newly invented peace prize and a rapt audience glued to televisions around the world, Friday’s World Cup draw promised no shortage of spectacle.
But in the end, the real stars of the show were always going to be the tiny bouncing balls that would determine their path to football’s biggest prize.
Outside Washington, as a dusting of snow fell inside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, an invitation-only crowd settled into cushioned seats for a two-hour show that unfolded with all the flashy perks of FIFA — scripted jokes, soaring vocals and choreographed introductions. But it also carried political overtones that were hard to miss.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino welcomed President Donald Trump to the stage for his peacekeeping efforts, and Trump gave a brief speech to the worldwide audience. Trump stayed through the entire show, sitting next to his wife, Melania, clapping and later giving the familiar shoulder tap as the Village People closed the show with the “YMCA” anthem MAGA adopted from their campaign rallies.
On paper, the draw is simple: Draw a few balls, create a few groups, set the World Cup road map. Fans around the world are eagerly watching to see whether their country will take the easy road or whether the football gods will ruthlessly throw their team into a “group of death”. But in FIFA’s hands, it becomes an elaborate, Vegas-style production.
Friday’s show opened with Andrea Bocelli’s stunning rendition of “Nessun dorma” and included performances from Robbie Williams and Lauryn Hill, among others. Football stars past and present mingled with diplomats and elected officials as retired NFL quarterback Eli Manning worked the red carpet.
The crowd in the Concert Hall waited patiently; Perhaps less so for the rest of the football world. Just a few miles away, at Ireland’s Four Courts pub in Arlington, a group of early-drinking fans held up a replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy and chanted “Ole, ole, ole!” he chanted. Other fans groaned as the program dragged on, moving into musical segments and diplomatic discussions.
“I appreciate some of the fun, but waiting an hour and a half to go to the draw is crazy,” said Cecily Perez, a U.S. team fan.
It might have required a few drinks, but fans of the United States team were largely pleased with the draw for a group that also included Australia, Paraguay and a to-be-determined European team that still had to qualify for the playoffs. The U.S. men will open the tournament in Los Angeles on June 12, but the full schedule won’t be released until Saturday.
“That’s probably the best we can hope for,” said Jake Didinsky, president of the D.C. chapter of American Outlaws, the U.S. team’s support group. “If we don’t make it out of this group, it’s time to cut US soccer. That’s it.”
Friday’s draw appeared to revolve around Trump early on, as the United States co-hosts the tournament along with Canada and Mexico. The US president relied on his close relationship with Infantino and persuaded FIFA to host the event in Washington, even though the city had not been selected to host any World Cup matches. Earlier in Friday’s program, Infantino brought Trump onstage to accept the organization’s inaugural peace award; that prize was created this fall, four weeks after Trump was handed it over by the Nobel Committee.
“This is your peace prize,” Infantino said as he handed him a medal, cup and certificate. Trump gave a brief speech about his administration’s efforts to “make the world safer,” calling it “one of the greatest honors of my life” and citing places like the Democratic Republic of Congo and India as sites of conflicts he said the United States has helped resolve.
The moment was met with polite applause in the building, but the award drew fire from human rights groups that have criticized Trump’s immigration policies and recent deadly boat attacks in the Caribbean Sea. The FIFA award came a day after Trump spoke at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump Institute for Peace, which vice presidents renamed to honor him.
Trump has established himself as a key player in this World Cup, is friends with Infantino and has been outspoken about his plans for the tournament; It included repeated threats to move matches from US cities to other cities, which he described as “unsafe”. Asked Friday about his interest in relocating the games, he said he “didn’t want to do that” and recalled his push for Washington, arguing it could “solve” local crime problems.
“If they have a problem, we’re going to fix that problem until we get there,” Trump told reporters.
His humor was a little lighter on stage.
“There’s no question we need to find another name for American football,” Trump said on stage. “It really doesn’t make any sense.”
Although the United States was technically the co-host of the tournament, it was hard to miss the hefty doses of American flavor. “Watching Americans on stage and the president’s speeches and [the] U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams said the performances already feel like an American event.
At a news conference at the Canadian embassy on Friday evening, officials sidestepped the president in charge of tensions over trade with Canada’s southern neighbor and Cup co-host.
“Sports are a great tool for peace,” Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s secretary of state for sports, said when asked about Trump’s award.
Canada Coach Jesse Marsch, an outspoken American who has previously spoken out against Trump’s anti-Canadian rhetoric, paused when asked about the peace prize.
“I’m not going to talk too much about it,” Marsch said. “I can say that the whole show was amazing.”
A reporter later asked Marsch about the identities of Canada’s friendly rivals in the coming months. Marsch said he couldn’t announce that yet and then looked at the Canadian soccer media official. “So I can’t comment on Trump?” Marsch asked with a smile. “So I can’t do any of this.”
After the first group announcements, Trump posed for a selfie with Infantino, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. More than 90 minutes passed before the program turned to the day’s goal: mapping the path to next summer’s World Cup. Sports stars Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Judge were called onstage to help pull balls from the bowls, and 48 teams were assigned to their respective groups.
Delegates took notes, analysts began examining the matchups, and applause punctuated the quiet tension of the proceedings. The United States, one of the three host countries, automatically qualified for the qualifiers and became the first team selected for Group D.
Fans gathered at Solace Brewing Company in the Washington Navy Yard wore scarves, critiqued the draw and discussed plans for next summer’s tournament. Didinsky said he had been planning for this moment and the logistics of next summer’s games for years. Because tickets are expensive, Didinsky realizes that many people who want to cheer for their team in person cannot afford it and will instead gather around televisions and watch games in groups.
“Every bar will be flooded,” he predicted.
Back in the arena, as the last ball was drawn and New Zealand were placed in Group G, the field was officially prepared and the assembled crowd dispersed across the snow-covered city. Trump, meanwhile, stayed behind to meet with global leaders and pursue another pet project: personally overseeing renovations at the Kennedy Center, according to a White House official.
The Kennedy Center found its event, FIFA found its audience. Trump received his award and football fans were treated to giggles that will keep them busy until Mexico opens its tournament against South Africa in Mexico City on June 11.
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Thomas Floyd, Fritz Hahn, Adam Kilgore and Jorge Ribas contributed to this report.
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2026 World Cup groups
Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, European Playoff D (Denmark, Ireland, Czech Republic or North Macedonia)
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, European Playoff A (Bosnia, Italy, Wales or Northern Ireland)
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay, European Playoff C (Slovakia, Kosovo, Türkiye or Romania)
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, European Playoff B (Ukraine, Poland, Albania or Sweden)
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, FIFA Playoff 2 (Bolivia, Iraq or Suriname)
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, FIFA Playoff 1 (Democratic Republic of Congo, New Caledonia or Jamaica)
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
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