Top seeds include defending champions Argentina, hosts USA, Mexico and Canada
WASHINGTON:
The draw for the 2026 World Cup – the biggest edition of global soccer ever – will take place on Friday in Washington with US President Donald Trump expected to feature prominently in proceedings.
The expanded 48-team tournament — from the 32-nation field that participated in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 next year.
Trump’s presence at the Kennedy Center ceremony underscores his relationship with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who has made several visits to the White House and even joined Trump at international summits in the years since North America’s joint bid was awarded to the tournament in 2018.
Infantino’s close relationship with Trump is widely expected to see the US leader named as the first recipient of the new FIFA Peace Prize, which will be awarded in the draw
Trump has made the World Cup a centerpiece of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.
But he has not hesitated to bring domestic politics into the event, threatening to move World Cup games from Democratic-run cities if he deems conditions not “safe.”
In a sign of global tensions surrounding a World Cup that will have 11 of its 16 venues in the United States, Iran said it would boycott the draw because US authorities refused to grant visas to several members of its delegation.
The president of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, said: “We have told the head of FIFA … that it is a purely political position and that FIFA should tell (Washington) to stop this behavior.”
First time qualifying
The title contenders, which a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina won for a third time in 2022 in Qatar, will be drawn into 12 groups.
The top seeds are Argentina, host countries USA, Mexico and Canada, five-time winners Brazil, two-time champions France, four-time winners Germany as well as Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium.
The evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be 41 when the tournament begins, said a sixth World Cup final with Portugal would be his last and he would relish capping his long career with a first world title for his country.
The expanded cast list also means a chance for a handful of qualifying champions, including Cape Verde, Jordan and the tiny Caribbean nation of Curacao.
With six of the venues still to be decided in the play-offs, the favorites will want to avoid Italy, who won the World Cup as recently as 2006 but have not qualified since 2014.
Despite a mistake-filled qualifying campaign, the Italians can still reach the finals by winning two sudden-death games.
The opening match will be played at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which also hosted the 1970 and 1986 finals, before the tournament unfolds over nearly six weeks, culminating in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Due to the complexity, teams will only know full details of match venues and kick-off times on Saturday, one day after the draw.
Supporters’ groups have warned fans they could face eye-watering ticket prices for the most attractive matches due to FIFA’s decision to use dynamic ticket pricing.
Prices on popular aftermarket sites in the United States such as Stubhub and Seatgeek have already skyrocketed, with prices for the July 19 World Cup final in New Jersey starting at around $7,000.
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