Las Vegas will play host to the 2026 World Cup draw on 5 December, according to multiple reports, with the Sphere hotly tipped to serve as the ceremony site for the expanded 48-team tournament.
Sources told ESPN that Vegas was selected after potential venues in Canada and Mexico were ruled out for the draw, which will determine the 12 groups of four nations competing in the first 48-team men’s World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Pedro Cedillo, a Pachuca executive advocating for World Cup training camps in Mexico, confirmed to ESPN that he expected the draw to be held in Las Vegas. “I understand it will be in Las Vegas, and that’s where we need to be present,” he said.
In 1994, when the US last hosted the World Cup, the draw was also staged in Las Vegas, despite it not being a match host city, a scenario that will repeat in 2026.
The Sphere, a 17,500-seat venue that opened in 2023 and boasts a 54,000-square-meter LED screen, is the leading candidate to stage the event, though official confirmation has not yet been made. The Las Vegas Convention Center, the 1994 draw venue, is unavailable for this year’s date.
