Kennedy Center to host 2026 World Cup draw

The draw for the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday.

The 2026 event will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19 and will be the first World Cup hosted by three nations and also the first that will expand to 48 teams.

Sixteen venues have already been chosen to host games, with 11 in the U.S., three in Mexico and two in Canada.

The cities officially selected to host World Cup matches in the U.S. are: New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium); Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium); Dallas (AT&T Stadium); San Francisco Bay Area (Levi's Stadium); Miami (Hard Rock Stadium); Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium); Seattle (Lumen Field); Houston (NRG Stadium); Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field); Kansas City, Missouri (Arrowhead Stadium); and Boston (Gillette Stadium).

Trump made Friday's announcement from the Oval Office alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who said the draw would take place at noon ET.

The draw will see the 48 qualified teams split into 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams will advance, to the knockout stage.

As well as the three host nations, 10 teams have already secured their place at the 2026 tournament: Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Brazil and Ecuador