On December 5, 2025, President Donald Trump took center stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for the much-anticipated draw of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and was presented with FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize in a ceremony watched around the globe. The spectacle was unmistakably Washington meets stadium — a show of American prominence that the left-wing press will try to spin away, but millions of patriotic Americans saw exactly what it was: the United States leading the world on its own soil.
Mr. Trump used his moment to praise FIFA president Gianni Infantino and tout America’s role in hosting the largest World Cup in history, underscoring the jobs and revenue the tournament brings to hardworking families across the country. Critics will clamor about cozy relationships and pageantry, but conservatives know that building alliances and delivering real economic benefits is how you govern — not virtue-signaling press conferences.
This World Cup is unprecedented: 48 teams, 104 matches, and matches spread across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026 — a genuine boon for American tourism, small businesses, and service workers who will profit from millions of visitors. The precise numbers and planning Trump highlighted aren’t empty promises; they reflect concrete economic planning and a patriotic agenda to showcase American hospitality and security to the world.
Of course, the leftist media and global grievance-mongers smelled controversy and immediately magnified it: Iran announced a boycott over visa denials, and some critics questioned the propriety of giving a sitting U.S. president an honor from an international sporting body. Conservatives should call that what it is — predictable obstruction and foreign petulance — while remembering that America has every right to insist on safety and reciprocity when we host a global event of this scale.
There will always be voices accusing Trump and Infantino of being too chummy, but the right should applaud a leader who turns relationships into wins for American workers and national prestige. Washington insiders and media elites prefer to tut-tut about optics while ignoring the real results: stadiums filled, hotels booked, local businesses thriving, and American cities on the world stage because of decisive leadership.
Patriots should welcome the draw as a chance to rally around law and order, secure borders at our venues, and celebrate American strength and enterprise — not to indulge the perennial hand-wringing from coastal elites. This was more than a show; it was a statement: when America leads, the world notices, and millions of working Americans stand to gain. Support the teams, back the workers, and demand that our cities and officials keep fans safe so this World Cup can be a patriotic success.
