The Fifa 2026 World Cup Draw at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center promised spectacle, yet few expected it to drift this far from football.
What unfolded was a surreal mix of politics, performance and punchlines that seemed to test even Fifa’s elastic sense of spectacle.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino set the tone early by warning that “it’s not a normal draw,” a prophecy that held up almost instantly.
What followed leaned heavily on politicised interpretations of global crises, from Gaza to Kosovo, turning the evening into something that looked uncomfortably like propaganda.
The headline act arrived when Donald Trump celebrated what he called one of the “great honours” of his life.
The US President did not win the Nobel Peace Prize he had been loudly chasing but instead walked away with the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize.
Infantino praised him for “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” and for having “united people across the world.”
As he handed over the medal of the very first Fifa Peace Prize, he said, "It's a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go.”
Trump slipped the medal on with the eagerness of someone finally getting the only piece of silverware he had been waiting for.
After months of publicly longing for the Nobel, he had found this substitute. He thanked his family, giving a nod to Melania in his acceptance speech.
He also credited himself – again – with helping prevent or end multiple wars, asserting that he “saved millions and millions of lives,” while citing conflicts in places like Congo, India and Pakistan.
The President appeared on stage with US Marines, prompting viewers to quip that war had somehow become peace.
That was only the beginning of the night’s absurdities. The draw itself was widely described as “worse than anything that Sepp Blatter could have dreamed up,” a verdict that quickly found traction both inside the Kennedy Center and online.
Social media delivered its own verdict at high speed, flooding platforms with memes and jokes about Trump, Fifa and the entire event.
“I don’t think I’ve ever watched a World Cup draw before this one. Always thought the groups just spawned like a month before the tournament started,” wrote one user on X.
The comic energy escalated when Shaquille O’Neal, towering at 2.16 metres, stepped up to remove marbles from pot 2 while Kevin Hart, 1.57 metres tall, co-hosted the ceremony with model Heidi Klum.
Their striking height difference generated instant reactions, with users sharing clips and images long before the formalities even began.
In the end, Fifa did determine the initial matchups for the 2026 World Cup, which will unfold across 16 cities in Mexico, the US and Canada between 11 June and 19 July.
The tournament may yet deliver great football, but the draw that set it in motion will be remembered for something else entirely.