FIFA will not pay a rental fee when it takes over much of the Kennedy Center later this month for the 2026 World Cup draw, according to a copy of the venue use agreement obtained by The Washington Post and other internal documents. The center’s arrangement with soccer’s international governing body will disrupt its performance schedule, forcing the relocation or postponement of several concerts at an institution that has seen a sharp decline in ticket sales since it was taken over by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
FIFA will not pay a rental fee when it takes over much of the Kennedy Center later this month for the 2026 World Cup draw, according to a copy of the venue use agreement obtained by The Washington Post and other internal documents. The center’s arrangement with soccer’s international governing body will disrupt its performance schedule, forcing the relocation or postponement of several concerts at an institution that has seen a sharp decline in ticket sales since it was taken over by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
To prepare for the draw, which is scheduled for Dec. 5, FIFA will occupy performance spaces and other sections of the Kennedy Center for almost three weeks, according to the documents and a center employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the agreement.
Scheduled performances from the National Symphony Orchestra during that period — from Nov. 24 to Dec. 12 — have been postponed, said the person and another employee with knowledge of the changes who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal. One NSO concert, a Dec. 9 performance to the movie “Home Alone,” was moved to another venue in Washington, while one highlight of the orchestra season, NSO music director Gianandrea Noseda’s concert weekend with opera singer Camilla Nylund, was moved to March 2026. The online calendar on the Kennedy Center’s website shows a thinned-out schedule in the weeks surrounding the World Cup event.
It is not unusual for countries to take on significant expenses to host the World Cup, nor would this be the first time that FIFA has booked a venue for the draw free. But it marks a change at the Kennedy Center, which boasts a packed lineup most weeks. The organization’s coffers have been a source of intrigue this year as new executives brought on under Trump have accused past management of causing a financial crisis at the center, something those leaders deny. (The center has declined several requests from The Post to share concrete details about its financials.)
The draw is essentially an invite-only event, and neither FIFA nor the Kennedy Center is expected to generate any ticket revenue. FIFA has announced it will distribute an unspecified number of complimentary tickets for fans through a lottery system, but there are no tickets available for purchase by the general public.
Neither the Kennedy Center nor FIFA responded to requests for comment. In response to questions about Trump’s role in facilitating the agreement, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said the president was honored to bring the event to the Kennedy Center, which she described as a venue he had “quickly transformed into the cultural center of our nation’s capital.”
“With the Kennedy Center setting the stage for a phenomenal kickoff, the Trump Administration is positioning the United States to benefit greatly from the substantial economic growth, jobs, and tourism that these historic games will bring,” Huston wrote.
Performance venues — including the Concert Hall and Eisenhower Theater — along with the Reach complex are among the spaces FIFA will occupy for the draw, which takes place two days before the Kennedy Center Honors in the Opera House.
One person said there have been concerns among staffers about the quick turnaround to prepare for the Honors ceremony and the potential loss in revenue from programming changes.
Outside organizations generally pay a rental fee to use the Kennedy Center’s space. An internal report reviewed by The Post showed various rental fees for events in November and December — including $2,681 for choir rehearsals and $26,810 for performances in the Concert Hall. The Kennedy Center currently quotes a standard rate of $39,000 to rent the Concert Hall and $18,000 for the Eisenhower Theater. Those are rates for single nights, suggesting a multiweek rental of much of the campus, such as FIFA’s, could cost significantly more.
The venue use agreement between the Kennedy Center and FIFA, signed Aug. 12 and 13, states that the federation is still responsible for production costs for the draw.
Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February, overhauling its board and executive leadership. While numerous artists have said they are boycotting the center, and there have been recurring rounds of staff layoffs, the programming centerpieces — orchestra, opera, theater and dance performances — have largely remained constant even as the center has struggled to sell tickets, according to a recent Post analysis of sales. Other changes have included an influx of Christian programming. The center’s revenue relies on ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, event rentals, philanthropic giving and other sources of income. Its building operations are funded by the federal government.
The World Cup draw is the biggest event connected to the tournament before a ball is ever kicked. It’s the moment when national teams are divided into their groups and learn their early opponents, setting the potential path to FIFA’s golden trophy.
In practical terms, it’s a logistics exercise, pulling together soccer personalities and officials from all over the world for a suspense-filled unveiling. But in FIFA’s hands, it is also a global television production — a live show designed to showcase the host nation and stoke anticipation for the coming World Cup, which begins June 11. Next year’s tournament will feature 104 matches, spread across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The draw, which will be broadcast live in the United States on Fox, commands eyeballs from all over the world. The most recent edition, held in Qatar in 2022, was broadcast to more than 190 countries, and FIFA officials said the ceremony reached a global television audience of roughly 300 million viewers.
Although it’s a made-for-television event, the draw has a long history of spectacle and excess. The draw for the 1994 World Cup, the last time the men’s tournament was held in the United States, was a glitzy production held in Las Vegas, complete with live entertainment and celebrity cameos, including comedian Robin Williams bantering onstage with Sepp Blatter, the top FIFA boss at the time.
This year’s draw was widely expected to return to Las Vegas, but in a surprise late move, Trump swooped in and, thanks in part to a chummy relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, helped shift the event to the Kennedy Center at the 11th hour.
Trump aides had spent weeks quietly lobbying FIFA officials to stage the event at the Kennedy Center, pitching the capital as a more prestigious and politically resonant setting. Talks with Las Vegas officials were in the late stages at the time, and according to one person familiar with the planning, a Las Vegas venue was willing to offer a hosting fee for the right to stage the draw, and no rental costs were expected for FIFA.
But Trump’s influence ultimately won out. He and Infantino have enjoyed a close relationship as the tournament has drawn near. FIFA opened an office this year at New York’s Trump Tower, and in July, Trump attended the Club World Cup final, where he posed for photographs with Chelsea players as the English team celebrated a championship. More recently, Infantino was alongside world leaders in Egypt for a peace summit last month in which Trump heralded a Gaza peace plan.
Infantino joined Trump in the Oval Office on Aug. 22 to announce the Kennedy Center as the draw site, presenting the president with the iconic tournament trophy.
“It’s for winners only,” Infantino said.
The draw amounts to a consolation prize of sorts for Washington. The host nation’s capital is rarely omitted from World Cup festivities, but Washington was not chosen to stage any of the tournament’s matches. The city was part of a combined bid with Baltimore but was bypassed by FIFA officials.
Costs associated with hosting the draw remain opaque, with the most recent events held in Doha, Qatar, and Moscow and largely supported with state money. (The draw for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, in fact, was held at the State Kremlin Palace.) But for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Cape Town officials said it would cost the city more than $6 million to stage the draw, with $4.7 million earmarked for renting the Cape Town International Convention Center, according to news reports at the time.
For the 2014 tournament in Brazil, local media outlets reported the draw at Costa do Sauípe would cost $5 million, with FIFA covering $3.8 million and the state government $1.2 million, including television production, performances, technology, security and set design.
While the draw can carry significant production costs, it remains unclear whether FIFA typically pays anything directly for the venues themselves, or relies on host governments and facilities to absorb the expense as part of the privilege of association with the World Cup.
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