Official: The 2026 World Cup draw ceremony will be held in Washington on December 5

August 23 Official news, US President Trump announced in the Oval Office of the White House on August 22, 2025 that the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony will be held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on December 5.

Vice President JD Vance (first from left), FIFA President Gianni Infantino (second from right) and Homeland Security Minister Christie Nome (first from right) witnessed the announcement together. The draw ceremony of

is an important event for all teams that have advanced to determine the three opponents in the group stage.

Trump is almost certain to take on the role at the event. The lottery ceremony includes both procedural links and is viewing, and musical performances and speeches are usually arranged before grouping through sealed balls. The draw ceremony will determine the first phase of the World Cup grouping of 48 advanced teams accurately divided into 12 four-person groups. Before the draw, 48 teams will be evenly distributed to four tiers based on the latest FIFA rankings. The first level will include the United States, Canada, Mexico, and nine teams that automatically advance as host. The second and third gears continue this rule, while the fourth gear includes the 12 lowest-ranked teams. Each group will be composed of four divisions and one team in each.

It has been confirmed that the opening match of the 2026 World Cup will be held at the Aztec Stadium in Mexico City on June 11, which means that Mexico will automatically land in Group A. Canada will compete in the second game and enter Group B, while the United States will play the third game and be in Group D. These three games will be the only events on June 12. When the lottery ceremony is held, 42 of the 48 participating teams will determine their qualifications. The remaining four European seats and two other global seats will be finalized by the playoffs held in the host country in March 2026. Previously, the use of the fourth placeholder represents the seats that will be determined through subsequent playoffs.

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