The White House on Monday confirmed that US President Donald Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup finals draw in Washington later this week. The United States is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Center,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has elevated the World Cup as a flagship event of his second term and a key highlight of the nation’s upcoming 250th independence anniversary celebrations.

However, the global sporting spectacle has also been drawn into domestic political tensions. The president has suggested the possibility of relocating matches from certain US host cities as part of his crackdown on what he describes as rising crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.