FIFA is in advanced negotiations with venues in Las Vegas to host the draw for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
However, soccer’s world governing body has also discussed holding the event in Washington, D.C., if it made it easier for President Donald Trump to participate extensively.
When the U.S. last hosted a men’s World Cup in 1994, the draw took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with Dick Clark presenting a gameshow-style event.
James Brown was among a cast of star names—including Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, and Sir Rod Stewart—to perform.
The late comedian Robin Williams assisted former FIFA president Sepp Blatter with the draw, and the 42nd U.S. President Bill Clinton appeared via video link.
The event, which determines the groups for the tournament’s first stage of matches, setting the path to the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, is set for December 2025.
FIFA has identified a return to Las Vegas as its preferred destination.
This preference aligns with several host city executives, who hope to entertain prospective commercial partners in Sin City before and after the draw.
In January, Alejandro Hutt, the director of the host city committee for the Mexican location Monterrey, told ESPN that they and Canadian city Vancouver had shown interest in hosting the draw but were informed by FIFA they would not be granted the privilege.
The U.S. is set to host 75 percent of the games during the tournament across 11 of the 16 host cities.
The Athletic has been told by sources, who wished to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, that FIFA has explored multiple venue options in Las Vegas.
Among these is the 17,000-seater MGM Grand Garden Arena, which is a prime candidate for the event.
FIFA has also studied alternative options in Las Vegas, including The Sphere and the T-Mobile Arena, but these are considered less likely because of high demand for residencies, holiday concerts, and events in December.
T-Mobile Arena, home of hockey’s Las Vegas Golden Knights, must also adapt to the needs of the NHL regular season, for which the schedule has yet to be released.
Furthermore, FIFA will be competing for hotel rooms in Las Vegas with holiday visitors and other major events.
Notably, the National Finals Rodeo, taking place between December 4-13 at the Thomas & Mack Center, attracted over 170,000 attendees in 2022 across 10 days.
Additionally, Amazon’s AWS re:Invent conference has become an annual tradition in early December, bringing over 60,000 attendees to Las Vegas.
FIFA has also enquired about the more intimate Dolby Live arena, which has a capacity of 6,400, but MGM provided initial feedback indicating their preference to keep the venue open for residencies or holiday concerts.
Bruno Mars and Lenny Kravitz have multiple dates at Dolby Live booked for this summer, and the venue hopes to accommodate Mariah Carey, whose holiday schedule is yet to be announced.
This limits FIFA’s options for the event.
In a statement to The Athletic, MGM Resorts International expressed enthusiasm, stating, “As leaders in sports and entertainment, it would be a tremendous opportunity to host a FIFA event in Las Vegas.
We are committed to delivering premier experiences that captivate fans worldwide, and partnering with FIFA would offer another chance for the destination to showcase itself as the sports capital of the world.”
Internally at FIFA, there has been discussion regarding President Trump’s repeated references to the World Cup since he returned to the White House.
He has consistently praised his FIFA counterpart, Gianni Infantino, who visited the Oval Office earlier this year.
FIFA has even considered the possibility of hosting the event close to Trump, including ideas for a relatively slimmed-down event at the White House or other potential sites in D.C.
Trump could still travel to Las Vegas for the event.
He sent a video message for the FIFA Club World Cup draw held in Miami in December 2024, which his daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and grandson Theo attended.
Ivanka and Theo made the ceremonial first picks of the draw.
FIFA declined to comment on this story, indicating that negotiations are ongoing and announcements may come in due course.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
image source from：https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6281620/2025/04/16/2026-world-cup-draw-las-vegas-host-fifa/
