Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that she will attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw, scheduled to take place this Friday, December 5, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
“I believe I’m going. It’s a very short event,” Sheinbaum said during her daily press briefing. She added that she spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and that both Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Relations and the U.S. Department of State had communicated the invitation.
“President Trump would be pleased to receive us there,” she noted.
Sheinbaum emphasized that the draw presents an opportunity for the three host nations—Mexico, the United States, and Canada—to showcase unity ahead of the first tri-hosted World Cup in history.
“It’s a good moment for the two presidents and the prime minister of Canada to be together, sending the message that North America and our commercial partnership remain strong,” she said.
World Cup Draw Details
The draw will determine the placement of the 42 national teams already qualified and will organize them into 12 groups of four.
The remaining six spots correspond to:
• Four winners from UEFA playoffs
• Two winners from interconfederation playoffs, to be decided in March 2026
Host nations have been pre-assigned to groups:
• Mexico: Group A
• Canada: Group B
• United States: Group D
A Meeting with President Trump?
When asked about the possibility of meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during her visit, Sheinbaum clarified that nothing has been confirmed.
“It’s not defined yet. If it were to happen, it would be a very brief meeting,” she said.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest in history, expanding to 48 teams and spread across venues in the three North American countries.
Related: Mexico launches the ‘Social World Cup’ to bring the 2026 celebration to every corner of the country
Mexican Press Agency is part of ALMA, which is dedicated to news and information about Mexico and Mexicans in the United States and is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Focus, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Redwood City, California.
