The President of the United States, Donald Trump, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on Friday that the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26 will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on 5 December, FIFA said in a statement.
The draw will commence at 12:00 local time (18:00 CET) and will be beamed to the three host countries and around the globe by FIFA’s Media Partners.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: "We are excited to host the most anticipated Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup in history in the cultural and entertainment heart of the United States, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The draw is a major tournament milestone and one that will continue the remarkable build-up to the biggest sporting event ever, as we get set for many landmark FIFA events across North America throughout 2026.
"We look forward to welcoming the team delegations, our partners, global media, and, uniquely, fans representing each of the 16 wonderful Host Cities, to the capital of the United States for this significant occasion,” he added.
The teams representing the host countries will be assigned to positions A1 (Mexico), B1 (Canada) and D1 (USA).
FIFA boss Infantino also presented President Trump with the very first ticket to the tournament's grand finale.
Sharing the moment on his official Instagram handle, Infantino wrote, 'Having announced that FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets will go on sale for all 104 matches on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, it was a pleasure to present the first ticket to United States President Donald J. Trump at the White House.
'We look forward to hosting @realdonaldtrump at the showpiece final on Sunday, 19 July 2026 in New York New Jersey, along with the millions of fans who will unite to celebrate our beautiful game across all the host cities in the United States, as well as in Canada and Mexico,' he further wrote.
Washington DC will also host the FIFA play-off tournament -- a new event that will see six nations from five of the six confederations (with UEFA to hold a separate play-off competition for the final four European spots) compete for two places at the FIFA World Cup -- in March next year.
42 of the 48 teams that will compete at the World Cup will be known by the time the draw is made, with the final six coveted berths to be determined via play-off matches in March next year.
In addition to the three host countries, ten nations have already qualified for next year’s FIFA World Cup: defending champions Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan – who are set to make their tournament debut – Korea Republic, New Zealand and first-timers Uzbekistan.
In a ground-breaking initiative for the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup, fans from each of the 16 Host Cities (two in Canada, three in Mexico and 11 in the United States) will be able to participate in a special lottery for the chance to win complimentary admission to the once-in-a-lifetime event, including a VIP experience. A select number of admissions will be allocated to each Host City, with the lottery procedures to be announced in due course.
Sixteen venues have already been chosen to host games, with 11 in the US, 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).
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will kick-off at the Estadio Azteca Mexico City on 11 June.
The final of the 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States will to played at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, 19 July next year.