FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center: free use, a disputed payment, and a new Peace Prize for Trump (Nov.–Dec. 2025)

Case

Trump announced in August 2025 that the 2026 World Cup draw would be held at the Kennedy Center, where he chairs the board. FIFA had exclusive use of the building from Nov. 24 to Dec. 12, 2025; Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says that cost the center $5,038,444, while the center says FIFA paid a $2.4 million donation plus $5 million in sponsorship opportunities. At the Dec. 5 ceremony FIFA gave Trump a newly created Peace Prize.

Why FIFA was at the Kennedy Center
Aug. 22, 2025: Trump announced the 2026 World Cup draw would be held at the Kennedy Center, combining two of his priorities, his oversight of the center and promoting the World Cup. He said: "It's a tremendous honor to bring the global event and this incredible group of people and these unbelievable athletes... to the cultural center of our nation's capital."
The draw, which sets the groups and matchups for the 48-team tournament, took place Dec. 5, 2025, the first event of its kind held at the center. Washington is not hosting any tournament games.
Trump chairs the Kennedy Center's board and facilitated FIFA's exclusive use of the venue.

What replaced the normal schedule (Nov. 24 to Dec. 12, 2025)
FIFA had exclusive use of the building from Nov. 24 through Dec. 12, 2025. The 2,465-seat Concert Hall was the main venue, with the Eisenhower Theater as overflow.
FIFA also reserved the Roof Terrace Restaurant for a "VVIP" dinner, the Grand Foyer for receptions, the Terrace Theater for team seminars, a broadcast compound and media center, and set up a "green carpet" for arrivals and a "legends lounge" for select guests.
National Symphony Orchestra performances scheduled in that window were shifted. A Camilla Nylund concert moved to March 2026 and a Dec. 9 "Home Alone" screening moved to the Anthem. Grenell said: "We haven't cancelled a single show. We shifted events as we regularly do to find space."

The money: two accounts
Whitehouse's Nov. 20, 2025 letter says FIFA's free exclusive use "cost the Center $5,038,444 in direct rental and programming rescheduling losses." Standard nightly rates cited elsewhere are $39,000 for the Concert Hall and $18,000 for the Eisenhower Theater.
The deal was first described as a "zero-dollar" arrangement, and a leaked contract drew criticism. The Kennedy Center then told AP it was receiving $7.4 million: a $2.4 million direct donation from FIFA plus sponsorship opportunities valued at an additional $5 million, with FIFA covering event expenses. Spokesperson Roma Daravi said FIFA "has also given us sponsorship opportunities separate from their commitments for an additional $5 million."
Grenell says FIFA acted as a sponsor, not a renter, paying "several million dollars" plus expenses, so the arrangement was not lost revenue. A Democratic committee spokesperson said they had not received the documentation they requested to support the center's figures.

The FIFA Peace Prize
At the Dec. 5, 2025 ceremony, FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented Trump with a newly created "FIFA Peace Prize," awarded to individuals who have "united people across the world."

Other spending alleged in Whitehouse's letter (April to July 2025)
Allegation: between April 17 and July 2, 2025, the center's leadership team charged $10,773.19 for "private lunches, dinners, and alcohol purchases unrelated to fundraising or development purposes." The letter names Nick Meade and Rick Loughery, who it says charged "several hundreds of dollars for meals including charcuterie and numerous bottles of rosé," plus a champagne service and "VIP Gold Card" privileges. The letter gives no itemization, per-meal amounts or headcounts.
Allegation: between April 21 and July 16, 2025, the team charged $27,185 for Watergate Hotel rooms for "new hires and your associates," with multi-night stays, missed-reservation charges and valet parking. Grenell responded that the center spent $878,000 on Watergate Hotel stays in 2024 under the Biden administration.
Allegation: two personal contracts, $15,000 a month (April 2025, a former colleague from Grenell's time as ambassador to Germany) and $10,833.33 a month (May 2025, Jeff Halperin, husband of Kari Lake), and rental discounts of $19,820 (NewsNation town hall) and $21,982.60 (American Conservative Union Foundation, CPAC). Grenell said the NewsNation event featured Democrats and Trump critics.

Perspectives

Critic — Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), ranking member, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
Granting FIFA free exclusive use of the Kennedy Center cost the center more than $5 million in lost rental and rescheduling, and the center's spending on meals, hotels and personal contracts shows cronyism. Whitehouse opened an investigation and set a Dec. 4, 2025 deadline for Grenell to respond.

Official position — Richard Grenell, Kennedy Center president
FIFA was a sponsor, not a renter, and paid "several million dollars" plus all expenses; no show was cancelled, only shifted. The Whitehouse letter "did not undergo basic fact-checking," rests on "anonymous sources, inaccurate gossip," and ignores a balanced budget for the first time in decades and $117 million raised under Trump and Grenell.

Editorial read — The Author (site author), thesis
The Author's thesis: the deal reads as a vehicle for Trump's recognition. FIFA got a venue with no clear up-front payment, the center absorbed the displaced programming and the disputed revenue, and Trump left with a newly created Peace Prize presented at the event. The sources document each of those facts but do not establish that the prize was the purpose; that connection is the Author's reading.

Research notes
Open leads: the center's contract with FIFA (a leaked contract reportedly showed a "zero-dollar" deal); documents Whitehouse requested and had not received as of early Dec. 2025; any later figures on the donation's actual receipt. The meals ($10,773.19, Apr. 17 to July 2, 2025) and Watergate Hotel ($27,185, Apr. 21 to July 16, 2025) charges in Whitehouse's letter are listed as allegations; the letter gives no itemization or headcounts. CNN (Oct. 1, 2026) reports donation pledges fell by more than 100% after Trump's name was added; the article could not be read when this entry was drafted.

Note
Whether FIFA paid for the space is contested: Whitehouse says free use cost the center $5,038,444, while Grenell says FIFA was a sponsor that paid "several million dollars" plus expenses and that no show was cancelled.

Sources
[1] KTVZ/CNN — Trump announces the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center (https://ktvz.com/sports/cnn-sports/2025/08/22/trump-announces-the-world-cup-draw-will-be-held-at-dcs-kennedy-center-as-he-brings-together-two-second-term-priorities/) · 2025-08-22
[2] Sen. Whitehouse letter to Richard Grenell (EPW Committee Democrats) (https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/f/c/fcde86a8-1e5c-43fa-b663-12d143185012/33B264C9696E107872FBA05FB351F3327F37ED399108A5D74F00762B56EDA498.11.20.25-letter-to-amb-grenell-re-kennedy-center.pdf) · 2025-11-20
[3] Fox News — Grenell responds to the Whitehouse probe (https://www-ak-ms.foxnews.com/politics/trump-envoy-torches-senate-dems-kennedy-center-probe-built-inaccurate-gossip.print) · 2025-11-21
[4] AP via AOL — Kennedy Center says it's being paid $7.4 million ahead of the World Cup draw (https://www.aol.com/articles/kennedy-center-says-being-paid-213500119.html)
[5] OperaWire — NSO postpones concerts after FIFA gets free use of the Kennedy Center (https://operawire.com/national-symphony-orchestra-forced-to-postpone-concerts-after-fifa-gets-free-use-of-kennedy-center/)
[6] The Daily Beast — FIFA's Kennedy Center takeover (https://www.thedailybeast.com/fifas-kennedy-center-takeover-is-a-tacky-own-goal-for-trump/)

Connections

Same context — Contracts and payments to Trump allies: documented cases and the open question of no-work retainers (2025–2026)
Both draw on Whitehouse's Nov. 2025 Kennedy Center letter, which alleged the FIFA arrangement and the contracts to Grenell associates.

Same context — Kennedy Center takeover, renaming, and closure/demolition threat
The FIFA deal happened during Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center, which the other entry traces through the closure fight and the center's financial decline.