President Donald Trump will take the stage at Friday’s World Cup final draw ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington where he will accept FIFA’s inaugural peace prize, according to a draft of the run-of-show obtained by POLITICO.
During the ceremony, where countries will find out who they will face in the first group stage matches, Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are expected to take part in a ceremonial ball draw. It will mark the first time Trump and Carney have appeared together since their clash over a Canadian trade policy ad that angered Trump. Friday will also mark the first time Sheinbaum and Trump meet in person.
The two-hour program will open with a performance by Andrea Bocelli — one of Trump’s favorite opera singers, who performed in the Oval Office earlier this year — before moving to remarks from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, according to the detailed run-of-show. Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger will also perform.
Infantino will then introduce Trump as the recipient of the event’s peace prize. Trump will accept the award and deliver remarks from the stage.”The president is the consummate host,” Andrew Giuliani said in an interview on Thursday before the draw. “Is there any other president that can handle inviting the world in and being a better host than Donald J. Trump?”
Once the heads of state conclude their portion of the program, the show will shift to the official draw, run by a conductor and assistants. Balls labeled with each country’s name will be pulled from pots to form 12 groups of four teams each for the 2026 tournament.
The Village People, the disco group whose song “YMCA” became a signature anthem at Trump campaign rallies and his inauguration, will close the ceremony.
