US EditionFIFA’s World Cup Matchups Will Be Announced Friday. Here’s What to Know About the Draw
The 48-team World Cup draw in Washington faces political tensions with Iran's boycott and will seed teams into 12 groups ahead of the tournament next June, FIFA said.
- On Friday in Washington, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino will be joined by US President Donald Trump at the 2026 World Cup draw, highlighting Trump's prominent role at the Kennedy Center ceremony.
- Infantino's close rapport with Trump has prompted expectations the US President will receive the first FIFA Peace Prize as he highlights the World Cup during his second presidency and the US 250th anniversary next year.
- The expanded 48-team tournament will be drawn into 12 groups, with first-time qualifiers Cape Verde, Jordan, and Curacao, and the opening match at Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, before the final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, next year.
- Iran announced it will boycott the draw after US authorities refused visas to several delegation members, and Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, urged FIFA to press Washington over the decision.
- With 11 of 16 venues in the United States, hosting concentration raises geopolitical tensions, and Donald Trump has threatened to move matches from Democratic-run cities if conditions are deemed `unsafe`.
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125 Articles
Bay Area soccer stars ring in ‘favorable’ World Cup draw for U.S.
SAN FRANCISCO — It would be difficult to match Brandi Chastain’s enthusiasm during her iconic goal celebration in the 1999 Women’s World Cup final. But the San Jose native and U.S. national team legend gave it her best shot Friday morning, in a sports bar outside Chase Center. Chastain, now 57, gathered with a handful of other local sports figures and a hundred or so soccer fans at a watch party for the 2026 World Cup draw, where onlookers learn…
'Trump and Infantino are turning the beautiful game ugly with unsettling alliance' - The Mirror
Tomorrow’s World Cup draw, staged just a mile from the White House, is set to unfold as an unprecedented piece of political theatre, with what should be a global celebration of football instead becoming a showcase for the increasingly unsettling partnership between Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino
Which teams meet in the preliminary round at the 2026 World Cup - and why is there an exception in Europe? A look at the drawpots for the FIFA Gala in Washington.
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