Washington: American president Donald Trump revealed that the draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place in Washington in December.
Besides the sides of the FIFA chief, Gianni Infantino in the White House, Trump described the tournament as “probably the biggest sport event” and even joked in wanting to keep the golden trophy for himself.
The announcement confirmed that the Kennedy Center in the American capital will host the ceremony on December 5.
The draw for the football championship at 48 teams will take place at the Kennedy Center in the American capital, where Trump recently settled as president in what he called a war against “awakened” culture.
“It is the biggest, probably the biggest sport event,” said Trump, flanked by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, making the announcement in the oval office of the White House.
The 2026 World Cup is organized by the United States, Canada and Mexico next year, and Trump has done a big problem as to what it happens during its presidency.
Infantino, who favored close ties to the American billionaire president, brought the World Cup with him for the announcement and even let Trump get his hands on it.
“Only the president of FIFA, the presidents of the country, then those who win can touch him, because it is for the winners. And since you are a winner, of course, you can also touch it,” said Infantino.
“Can I keep it?” Replied Trump, who won a second term in the White House last year, when he raised the trophy with both hands.
“It’s a beautiful piece of gold.”
Trump seemed to joke – although the trophy separated from the World Cup of FIFA remains in the oval office more than a month after the English side Chelsea won him in New Jersey last month.
Putin ‘could come and he cannot’
There was a brief moment of nerves when Trump seemed to grop up the World Cup before placing it on his desk – while Infantino reached out to stabilize him.
Infantino then presented to the American leader 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 could attend the World Cup.
By holding a photo which, according to him, Putin had sent him after their summit in Alaska last week, Trump said that the chief of the Kremlin “wanted to be very badly there”, but that he “perhaps came and that he cannot” depending on the outcome of Ukrainian peace efforts.
The United States was appointed joint hosts of the 2026 World Cup during Trump’s first term as president in 2018. He lost the 2020 elections against Joe Biden but won a second term last year.
Since his return to power, Trump has launched a major repression against immigration, but he said that he would be “very easy” for most fans of the World Cup to obtain a visa.
For visitors to certain countries, it would be “obviously a little more difficult,” said Trump, who prohibited all travelers from 12 nations, including Afghanistan, Haiti and Iran.
‘Trump-Kennedy Center’
The draw for the World Cup should be held in Las Vegas, but the new place has more political connotations.
Trump took a takeover of the Kennedy Center earlier this year, saying that the venerable arts of the show arts named after the late Democratic president John F. Kennedy had become too “awake”.
He added on Friday when he announced that “some people call him the center of Trump-Kennedy, but we are not yet ready to do so, maybe in about a week.”
Trump visited the Kennedy Center on Friday just before the announcement of the oval office. He said he was going to make major improvements to “embellish it”, including the addition of marble coating.
The American president also praised a repression of the major federal crime in Washington which saw troops of the US National Guard deployed in the streets of the capital.
Trump said this decision would make Washington safe for football fans visiting the city during the tournament next year.
