VIDEO SHOWS: U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY AND MEXICAN PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM DRAWING AT 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP DRAW EVENT RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 05, 2025) (UNRESTRICTED POOL – Access all) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WHILE DRAWING A BALL DURING 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP DRAW EVENT, SAYING: "I think I know what this is going to be now. But let's see." FIFA PRESIDENT GIANNI INFANTINO: "Are you sure? Are you sure this is the ball? You can still change it if you want." TRUMP: "Does he know something that I don't know? Let's give it a shot." INFANTINO:"Let's give it a shot. Let's give it a shot. I agree." TRUMP: "This is shocking." INFANTINO: "United States of America." GIANNI: "Excellent, Group D1." 2. CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY DRAWING A BALL, SHOWING CANADA AS THE BALL PICKED 3. MEXICAN PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, SHOWING MEXICO AS THE BALL PICKED 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING: "Well, for years, Gianni, they've thought soccer or football would be so big, so fast. And I remember– I shouldn't say this because it was a long time ago– but I remember watching Pelé, play on a team called the Cosmos, Pelé, who is fantastic, as you know. I assume one of the greats." INFANTINO: "Oh, yes. Let's applaud Pelé, please. One of the greatest." TRUMP: "And he scored three goals out there. I said, 'that man can play.' I was pretty young at that point. And who knew this was going to happen? But when you look at what has happened to football in the United States is, again, soccer in the United States. We seem to never call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that's called football. But when you think about it, shouldn't it really be called– I mean, this is football. There's no question about it. We have to come up with another name for this. It really doesn't make sense when you think about it. It is really football. But who would have thought it would have come to a level where you've set your all-time season ticket ratings. Nobody's ever sold as many tickets, and you're still a long way from that ball being kicked down the field. So I just want to congratulate you. What an incredible leap this has been, and congratulations to FIFA." 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY, SAYING: "It is the biggest of deals, Gianni. You know, it's the number one sport for Canadian boys and girls. Two-thirds of the country watched the last World Cup. And we are partnered with the United States and Mexico, welcoming the world. There's more than 200 nationalities in Canada, more than 200 nationalities in FIFA. The top 48 are coming to North America. It is going to be the biggest deal ever." 6.(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, SAYING: “Well, we are proud to receive the World Cup for the third time. Mexico is an extraordinary, beautiful, magical country, and millions will visit our nation. I also want to say that we have an extraordinary, hardworking people — something truly special. We have enjoyed the ball game since ancient times.” 7. VARIOUS OF LEADERS SHOWING THE NAMES OF THEIR NATIONS WHILE HOLDING THE RESULTS CLOSE TO THEM 8. LEADERS TAKING SELFIE WITH INFANTINO, WALK OFF STAGE STORY: The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw began on Friday (December 5) with U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum picking their respective nations during a high-profile ceremony at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The event, starting at 1700 GMT, featured Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performing "Nessun Dorma," followed by pre-draw festivities. The draw, which utilizes a new seeding system, ensures the top four sides—Spain, defending champions Argentina, 2022 runners-up France, and England—are prevented from meeting until the semi-finals if they top their groups. The Village People are also due to perform, with the allocation of groups for the expanded 48-team competition due to begin at around 1800GMT. A newly introduced seeding system ensures that the current top four in the world – Spain, holders Argentina, 2022 runners-up France and England – cannot meet until the semi-final stage if they win their groups. The 48 teams – including six still-to-be-decided playoff winners – will be divided into 12 groups of four to produce a mammoth 104-match schedule across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. (Production: Suheir Sheikh)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
