FIFA World Cup draw in Vegas on 5 Dec

Las Vegas will play host to the 2026 World Cup draw on December 5, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

ESPN and TUDN'Mexico said Vegas had been picked for the draw of the expanded 48-team event, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The draw will assign the 48 participating nations into 12 groups of four.

The 11 US cities selected for 2026 are divided into three geographic regions. New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami and Atlanta comprise the East; Kansas City, Dallas and Houston make up the Central region; and Los Angeles, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area represent the West. Mexico’s venues include Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City, while Toronto and Vancouver will host matches in Canada.

Mexico, Canada and the United States have already been placed in Groups A, B and D respectively. The tournament will conclude on 19 July 2026, with the final set to be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

When the United States played host to the 1994 World Cup, the draw ceremony was also conducted in Las Vegas.

ESPN's original report said that The Sphere, a 17,500-seat venue which opened in 2023, was seen as the front-runner for the draw site.

But Sphere sources confirmed to AFP the World Cup draw would not take place there, and ESPN later reported Sphere sources told the sports network it would not be held there.

In 1994, the draw was staged in Las Vegas even though it was not a host city for any matches, a situation that is also the case for next year's event.