The 2026 World Cup draw for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico was an event very much in danger of losing sight of its true purpose. Across the 120-minute spectacle, US President Donald Trump won a FIFA Peace Prize, German supermodel Heidi Klum and co-host Kevin Hart navigated a number of awkward exchanges and FIFA President Gianni Infantino called FIFA “the official happiness provider for humanity.”
Just shy of 90 minutes into the event, the actual business of the day began. With North American sports stars Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O’Neal and Aaron Judge completing the draw, the football dreams of nations across the world became more tangible.
Germany were drawn in Group E with Ecuador, 2023 African Cup of Nations winners Cote d’Ivoire and debutants Curacao, who will be Germany’s first opponents on June 14 in either Houston or Philadelphia. If Germany win their group, they may face France in the Round of 16.
“It’s not a super easy group, but it’s a doable one, and we want to come out on top,” Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann told ZDF afterwards. Speaking to MagentaTV, Nagelsmann later added: “It’s good that we’re being challenged. That you don’t have three easy opponents, that you have to push yourself and go to your limits.”
Some draw highlights
The 2026 World Cup opening game will be Mexico against South Africa on June 11.
Infantino, Trump and a peace prize
Amidst the performances and montages, the early part of the show was dominated by Trump receiving the FIFA Peace Prize.
In a lengthy video, the FIFA Peace Prize was explained as an award given to an “individual who has taken extraordinary action for peace.” It was “presented on behalf of the billions of people who love the game and want peace” and honored “a dynamic leader who has championed the unifiying power of football on the world stage.”
Infantino handed Trump the large gold award and put a medal around his neck in recognition of his “exceptional and extraordinary actions” in helping bring peace around the world.
Infantino said Trump definitely deserved the first prize, saying the US president could “always count on the support of the soccer community.”
Trump said it was “such an honor to be with Gianni” and that the FIFA president had done “an incredible job.” In a short speech, Trump finished by calling America “the hottest place in the world and we are going to keep it that way.”
Major changes since 1994
This was a far cry from the last World Cup draw in the USA back in 1994. That show in Las Vegas was modest compared to today’s display. The then US President Bill Clinton was not in attendance and Robin Williams, unsurprisingly, stole the show, but three decades ago this was about the United States trying to prove itself as a legitimate soccer country.
In Washington, DC, on Friday, with the US president clearly in attendance, the show was long and to finish the Village People delivered a rendition of “Y.M.C.A.”, a song that was regularly played during Trump’s presidential campaign.
Indeed, the show is not the only thing that has changed since 1994. This draw also has a new format in that the two best teams in the world, Spain and Argentina, cannot meet each other before the final if they win their respective groups. The same is true for France and England as FIFA has adopted a similar style draw to tennis, where the top seeds avoid each other until later on in the tournament.
Also unusual is that FIFA organized a second event 24 hours after this draw to confirm the locations and kick-off times.
The event was as bombastic as expected, but beyond the lights, the music and montages, the reality of next summer has been realized for the competing nations around the world. For Germany, the chance for redemption looms large after the last two World Cups ended in the group stage.
Edited by Sean Sinico
