FIFA World โCup 2026 Draw Held as Gianniโ Infantino Presents Donald Trump with Presidential Award
Doha,โ Qatar – December 5, 2025 – The draw for the 2026 FIFA โWorldโ Cup took placeโ today in Doha, Qatar, outlining the path to glory for participating nations. Simultaneously, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented former U.S. Presidentโ Donald Trump with the FIFA Presidential Award, recognizing what โFIFA described as โhis โคcontributions to the promotion โof peace throughโ sport. The โaward ceremony occurredโ amidst the World Cup draw proceedings,drawingโฃ both โคpraise and criticism.
The draw itself determined theโ groups for the expanded 48-team tournament,co-hosted by the United States,Canada,and Mexico. The Unitedโ States was placed in Group A alongside Uruguay, โBrazil, and a representative from the inter-confederation play-off. Canada landed in Group B with france, croatia, and another โplay-off winner, while Mexico will compete in Groupโ C against Argentina,โ Poland, โand a team from the Asian โขFootball โฃConfederation play-off. The tournament is scheduled to โขrun from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across 16 host cities.โค
Infantino’s decision to honor Trump, however, overshadowed the sporting event for many. โFIFA stated the award acknowledged Trump’s โขroleโ in the Abraham Accords, a โseries ofโ normalization โagreementsโ between Israel and several arab nations, brokered duringโ his presidency. “This is โขa uniqueโ moment in โคtime,” Infantino said during theโ presentation, “and โit’s a moment where football unites, and Mr.โ President, you have shown that โyou are a unifier.” โฃThe award has โsparked controversy given Trump’s often divisive rhetoric and policies, withโข critics questioning the โappropriateness of โคFIFA bestowing such an honor.
The FIFA Presidential Award is presented to individuals whoโ have demonstrated โexceptional contributions to footballโค and society. Previous recipients include figures like Nelson Mandela and Pelรฉ. The โ2026 World Cupโข marks โthe firstโข time the tournament willโค be held across three โcountries and the first time itโฃ will feature 48 teams, aโฃ change intended โto broaden global participation โขin the sport. The draw’s completion and the subsequent awardโ ceremony set the stage for โwhat promises toโ beโ a โฃlandmark event in โfootballโค history.
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