On Friday, just hours before President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s latest joint briefing in the White House, the MGM Resorts group in Las Vegas received a courtesy correspondence. It came from FIFA. It was a short and generic email. It said, essentially: Thank you, but no thank you.
The expectation of many involved in next summer’s World Cup plans had been that the competition’s draw would take place in Las Vegas. There had, however, always been a but that never went away.
That but, first reported by The Athletic in April, was that Washington, D.C. — and, more precisely, Infantino — wanted to ensure it would be easy for Trump to participate in the draw, if he wished.
On Friday afternoon, that suspicion finally crystallized when, in a remarkable news conference in the Oval Office, Trump announced the draw would take place at the Kennedy Center, the performing arts and events space in D.C. According to sources familiar with the discussions, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, the venue was suggested by Trump’s administration, and Infantino fell into line, despite numerous FIFA officials preferring Las Vegas. FIFA declined to comment, and a White House spokesperson did not directly address the point, instead sending through a transcript of Friday’s press conference.
