The upcoming 2026 World Cup draw is generating controversy as FIFA plans to host the event at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center adn possibly award a newly created “peace prize” to former U.S. President Donald Trump. The moves have drawn criticism from experts who allege a politically motivated effort to court Trump, raising questions about the integrity of the event and the potential for “sportswashing.” The article details the concerns surrounding FIFA’s close relationship wiht the former president and the implications for the international soccer tournament.
2026 World Cup
This Year’s World Cup Draw Could Become a Donald Trump Show. – FIFA Should Be Ashamed, Says Expert.
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NEW YORK (Dagbladet): Other artists are being sidelined for nearly three weeks as FIFA utilizes the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. for the World Cup draw on December 5. According to The Washington Post, the organization will use the prestigious center – where the US President is Chairman – at no cost.
Simultaneously, FIFA plans to award its first-ever peace prize during the event. The likelihood of US President Donald Trump receiving the award is high, following his unsuccessful bid for the Nobel Peace Prize. This sets the stage for the World Cup draw to become a major event centered around Trump.
“This appears to be a form of bribery and flattery. It seems like a wealthy organization like FIFA has decided to create a false peace prize to give to Trump to further inflate his ego. It’s shameful. FIFA should be ashamed,” said Professor Ross Baker of Rutgers University.
Close Relationship
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has cultivated a close relationship with Trump over an extended period.
Earlier this year, the organization opened an office in Trump Tower in New York. In July, Trump appeared on stage with Chelsea players as they lifted the Club World Cup trophy.
Infantino was also present in Egypt when Trump presented his peace plan for Gaza. In August, the FIFA President visited Trump in the Oval Office, where Trump was given the opportunity to hold the World Cup trophy.
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– It’s only for winners,” Infantino said with a grin while announcing that the World Cup draw would be held at the Kennedy Center.
Former professional soccer player and current professor of political science at Pacific University, Jules Boykoff, believes Trump will leverage the World Cup for his own benefit.
“The World Cup gives US President Donald Trump a massive platform to engage in sportswashing – using sport to deflect attention from chronic domestic social problems and human rights challenges while looking important on the global stage,” Boykoff explained.
– Going Further
FIFA President Infantino has been criticized by many for his close relationship with Trump, but continues to defend it.
“We should all support what he’s doing because it looks good,” Infantino said about Trump during a business conference in Miami in early November, according to The Athletic.
Professor Ross Baker also points out how the upcoming event at the Kennedy Center may finally be an opportunity for Trump to boast about a full house. The iconic institution has struggled since Trump returned to power in January.
He quickly took control and made himself chairman and appointed his former Germany ambassador Richard Grenell as head of the institution. Since then, ticket sales have plummeted by 43 percent compared to last year, according to the newspaper, and several artists have made it clear they do not want to perform there.
– Going Further
Idrettsprofessor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, Tim Elcombe, points out that Infantino has built up a tight relationship with Trump, and that he did something similar with President Vladimir Putin before the World Cup in Russia and with the royal family in Qatar before the World Cup there.
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– But the visibility we are now seeing of Infantino with Trump is extensive and goes further than what we have seen as normal FIFA activities,” says Elcombe.
He also notes that Canada, which is co-hosting the World Cup with the US, is receiving surprisingly little attention from FIFA and Infantino compared to Trump.
FIFA will now take over the center from November 24 to December 12. This includes moving concerts by the US National Symphony and Finnish opera singer Camilla Nylund.
According to The Washington Post, the usual price for renting the concert hall at the Kennedy Center one evening is $39,000 (approximately 390,000 kroner) and $18,000 (approximately 180,000 kroner) for renting the Eisenhower Theater. FIFA gets to use both and also other parts of the center.
– With the Kennedy Center as the stage for a phenomenal kickoff, the Trump administration positions the US to benefit greatly from the significant economic growth, jobs, and tourism this event brings,” Trump spokesperson Liz Huston wrote to the newspaper.
– It’s a circular argument to keep politics out of FIFA so that FIFA can have an incredibly positive effect on the world. There’s an idea that sport is a unique arena that should be apolitical, and because it is apolitical, it can be a diplomat for the rest of the world,” Elcombe explains.
