Return to Transcripts main page
Isa Soares Tonight
World Cup Draw Is Underway In Washington, D.C.; Trump Awarded The Inaugural FIFA Peace Price; First Two Pots Complete In World Cup Draw. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired December 05, 2025 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our continuing breaking news coverage of the FIFA 2026 World Cup Draw. I'm Isa Soares coming to you live
from London.
And the World Cup draw is underway in Washington, D.C. with the leaders of the co-host. Canada, Mexico, and U.S., taking part. Mexico, as we've shown
you just in the last 10 minutes or so, even less than that, is in Group A, Canada in group B and the USA in Group D.
We've seen Donald Trump who won the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize just a short time ago. FIFA awarded the U.S. president with the accolade for taking,
quote, "exceptional and extra ordinary actions for peace." And by doing so, having united people right across the world. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I want to thank by the way my family, my great first lady, Melania, you're right here, and thank you very much. And
I think you're going to have an event, the likes of which maybe the world has never seen. Based on the enthusiasm that I've seen, I have never seen
anything like it. We've had a tremendous relationship, working relationship with Canada. We have our prime minister of Canada there, and we have our
president of Mexico and we've worked closely with those two countries, and the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding. And
I want to thank you both very much and your country is very much.
But most importantly, I just want to thank everybody. The world is a safer place now. The United States one year ago was not doing too well, and now I
have to say, with the hottest country anywhere in the world, and we're going to keep it that way.
Thank you all. Thank you. Have a great time. And, Johnny, a tremendous honor. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you, President. Thanks so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And of course, as you only expect, we've got correspondents covering this story all over the world, including at a watch party in
Atlanta, in the host nations of U.S. and Mexico, and in the reigning champions capital of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
But let's start first with CNN's Don Riddell, who's at this Kennedy Center, Amanda Davies, who is me here in London. So, Don, let me just pick up there
with President Trump and that moment just being the last, what, four, five minutes of seeing the three co-hosts on stage drawing the names out of that
bowl. I mean, I haven't -- Amanda and I were talking about this, we've never seen anything quite like this. It seems to be a first on many
occasions, including the first peace prize for President Donald J. Trump.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: You know, the World Cup draw is always exciting. This is the day, Isa, where the starting gun is fired for the
tournament, which will be taking place next summer when it will be much warmer than it is here now.
There are thousands and thousands of possible permutations of how the draws might work out, but so far today no surprises, no surprise that Donald
Trump won the inaugural peace prize. No surprise that we saw the world leaders drawing their own teams out of the hat, and we already knew which
groups Canada and Mexico and the United States were going to be placed in.
But until the draw kind of gets going proper, and that will be happening in the next few minutes, I guess we can reflect on what we have just
witnessed, which was quite extraordinary. And it was remarkable to see the friendly, chummy, paly nature between certainly Infantino and Trump and the
other leaders and Trump talking about the tremendous friendship between the co-host Canada and Mexico. It might have been collaborative in a football
sense, but it hasn't been that way in a political sense.
And you know, for much of this year, and certainly earlier this year when we had Trump threatening the, you know, punitive tariffs on their allies
and trading partners and their neighbors, Canada and Mexico, to now stand there and say we're all friends and we've always been friends and
everything is just fine I think is worth remarking upon that that has not necessarily been the case for a lot of this year.
Trump also referenced the fact that the United States wasn't so hard a year ago. Now, it's the hottest country in the world. Of course, he became the
president again for the second time earlier this year. Again, I don't think everybody would agree with that.
[13:05:00]
And we are looking at the situation going into this tournament next year where fans from all over the world would perhaps want to come and watch a
World Cup tournament be played, would want to buy tickets, would want to attend in person. Many will not be able to because it's so difficult to get
hold of a visa. Some, if you are, for example, from Haiti and Canada and your countries are on the travel ban you won't be able to get into this
country at all.
And I suspect there will be people who are frankly just too fearful about attending a World Cup in a country where routinely now, every single day,
we are seeing videos of ICE agents chasing people down the street. Detaining them, deporting them. Sometimes these people are actually U.S.
citizens. They are trying to clean and clear up and take illegal immigrants and criminals out of the country, but there is a tremendous culture of fear
in this country at the moment. Human rights watchdogs and advocates are talking about that a lot now. And I think that is definitely something that
is going to color the mood and the theme and the warmth of this World Cup tournament going forward, because not everybody is feeling quite so lovey-
dovey about it.
SOARES: Indeed. Look, it's a golden opportunity. Thank you, Don. It's a golden opportunity to show that unity, but we know, of course, Amanda, that
has been anything but under this president with some of the aggressive stance today taken not just with Canada, but also with Mexico.
Putting politics aside for just a moment, because I think is important as we wait for the draw, just for our viewers who are just joining us, just
how exactly is this going to happen? Because it's bigger, right? There's more teams involved and I'm guessing they have to make sure that not all
the confederations are in one slot, in one group, right? Just talk us through that.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: So, this is unprecedented as a draw. The recent editions of the FIFA World Cup have had 32 nations taking part
divided into groups of four, this for the first time, we've got 48 nations taking part. So, for the first time, we've got groups A to L for us to get
our -- get to grips with 48 nations, 42 of which have already been decided. And then we still have 16 teams potentially in the hunt for one of the
final six remaining spots. They will be in this draw as playoff balls.
SOARES: Right.
DAVIES: And they form the last six balls in the final pot. And what, basically the way the pots are decided, 48 teams into four pots decided on
FIFA world rankings. So, we've already seen the three balls drawn from the hosts, as is traditional. They are the first three names in pot one. And
then you have the top ranked nine nations in the world who have qualified. So, Spain are the top ranked country in the world, and they are very much
in pot one.
Then pot two, you have the likes of Croatia, Morocco, Colombia. Pot three, Panama, Norway, Egypt. Pot four, Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao. And
it's fascinating because you have these countries that have never got to this point of the tournament before, who for the first time will see their
names drawn out of a ball.
We saw Gianni Infantino giving the leaders of the host countries a lesson on how to open the balls. It's a ball like this. We will see the ball
opened, and then we will have the pieces of paper pulled out.
SOARES: And it won't be the leaders doing this, right? I'm guessing there'll be -- this will be just we sporting --
DAVIES: At this point, normal service will resume. And you will have two sets of legends who will take to the stage. And interestingly, this time,
they aren't only footballing legends we have from a across the world of sports. So, Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady will be part of proceedings. You will
first off have a country drawn. And then after that you will have the position in the group that will be drawn.
SOARES: OK.
DAVIES: So, you will have, for example, Spain drawn out, and then you will have position E1, and that might be where they are put. And there are
permutations. You can only have one team from each confederation in the same group, other than the European confederation because there's so many
teams, you can't have more than two.
So, for example, the USA cannot be in the same group as Panama. And because the USA and the defending champions Argentina and the Netherlands who
knocked them out of the last World Cup are all in the first pot, they won't be in the same group either. So, the aim being you keep the strongest
countries apart for as long as possible.
SOARES: So, the top seeded countries really may not -- may only faces each other much later, right, in the --
DAVIES: That is how it should work in theory. And there's an extra layer of safety that's been put in this year with a seeding system.
SOARES: Yes.
[13:10:00]
DAVIES: So, the top four ranked countries defending champions, Argentina, France, England and Spain are going to be kept apart until the semi-finals
at least if they can finish top of their group. And we know from past history that isn't always the case.
SOARES: Amanda -- Amanda's got a really high-level technology here with her, it looks like this everyone. OK. Look at this. This is how high-level
--
DAVIES: And a pen.
SOARES: And a pen. She's old school, a girl after my own heart. I love it. Amanda, do stay with us. She'll be jotting it down and bringing you the
very latest.
Let's take a closer look though at the hosting nations for what FIFA's president calls the greatest event mankind will ever see. We'll have
Valeria Leon standing by Mexico City. Paula Newton who's usually in Canada joins us from New York.
Paula, let me start with you this hour. I mean, seeing Mark Carney on stage there alongside Sheinbaum was quite something and although President Trump
said, I'm going to quote him, you know, "We had an outstanding friendship of coordination," that has been anything but, right, before this?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anything but, but both leaders, Sheinbaum and Mark Carney have gone out of their way to try and keep the politics out
of a sporting event that both countries want to go well, they are hosting games in those own countries, those countries have their own issues,
whether it's the pitch in Canada, which has had to be reworked, there are issues. But what they want is they want this event to be a boost for those
countries.
Now, listen, Isa, you know, full disclosure here, the snow in Washington, I am taking as a good sign for Canada. We are used to even playing soccer or
football, whichever you like, in the snow, we've known to have to take time outs for the snow. So, we can clear the snow off the pitch.
And look, Canada has a big stake in this. There's one of the leading -- in fact, it is the leading youth sport in Canada. And for that reason, whether
it's FIFA or MLS in Canada, the Major League Soccer, they want to grow this game from the grassroots. Canada only qualified -- from a sporting point of
view, only qualified in the last World Cup, it had been decades before that since they qualified, they want a good showing here.
And you know what, Isa, it is also important for politics as well. This is very important to Donald Trump and to see Canada alongside the United
States. It doesn't hurt when the trading is fraught, with just this week the Trump administration saying that they do not see perhaps going forward
a three-way deal in trade but a separate one between the United States and Mexico and then a separate one between the United States and Canada.
So, all of that politics playing on the scene there in sports, but right now I can tell you, for Mark Carney at least as well, wanting this to go
very well as it will be a boost to the Canadian economy in the summer, which it needs and a boost to Canadian soccer.
SOARES: Indeed. Let me go to Valeria Leon. Do stay with us, Paula. And, Valeria, I mean Mexico is going to become -- from what I was looking at
some of the data, become the first country to host the World Cup three times, 1917, 1986. So, what does this moment mean to Mexicans?
VALERIO LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, this is shaping up a World Cup of firsts, especially for Mexico, as you said, this country has hosted
three World Cups in its history and -- but this time only 13 of the 104 matches will be played in Mexico, five of them in the iconic Estadio Azteca
in Mexico City, including the opening match where Mexico will take the field for that. And we'll know who will Mexico will be facing on that
match. And for that, many people have gathered here in the streets of Mexico City. They have set up a screen where they have followed minute to
minute of this draw.
And I'm joined with one of them, he's Gerardo Gaitan and he's following this draw, what do you expect from Mexico during this World Cup?
GERARDO GAITAN, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT: I'm expecting a lot of things. There's been a recurring theme for Mexico, the fifth game where I'm not
hoping to get through that match, I'm hoping for them to go all the way and win the whole thing.
LEON: OK. How can you describe the feeling of the Mexicans ahead of first this draw and the World Cup, the third one in the country?
GAITAN: We're very excited because it's going to be a historic event, it's going to be the biggest World Cup in history. So, we're super excited.
LEON: Thank you, Gerardo. And for this World Cup, Isa, the Estadio Azteca is getting a full makeover, renovations will have to wrap up before the end
of March for a friendly between Portugal and Mexico. And once it's done, this stadium will officially make history as the only stadium in the world
to host three World Cup games in 1970, 1986 and this next summer
[13:15:00]
So, yes, clock is ticking and Mexico is racing to get this Estadio Azteca ready for the summer.
SOARES: We're hoping that El Tri does very well, I know that Coach Aguirre has come back for a third time and everyone's very excited about that. So,
we can talk about that later on in the show. Valeria, thank you very much. And Paula Newton, as always, Paula, thank you.
NEWTON: Thank you.
SOARES: We're going to take a short break. Stay right here with CNN for much more of our breaking news coverage on the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw.
Get your pen, get your paper, we're about to start.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back. The world of sport and the world of politics colliding at the Kennedy Center for the FIFA World Cup draw. Just moments
ago, U.S. President Donald Trump was awarded the first FIFA Peace Prize in the build-up to next year's World Cup. FIFA President Gianni Infantino or
Johnny, as President Trump has called him, seemingly developed a close relationship with President Trump.
I want to bring in Alayna Treene, whose life for us in snowing Washington. So, Alayna, I'm sure you saw the images as we did. It was quite something
seeing the president win the inaugural Peace Prize. No surprise there given how close they've been, but the reasons for the prize were laid out by
Infantino.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. And you know, he had said that essentially that the Peace Prize was to was representing all of
the -- I'm trying to find it here. Here we go. More than 5 billion soccer fans worldwide.
One thing, though, that isn't clear, Isa, was how this winner was chosen. I know that you said it was no surprise given their very close relationship.
But we also kind of knew ahead of time that he was very much expected to win this.
And look, Infantino, and we've heard him do this in the past as well, but he really boasted about how the president has been kind of crucial to this
process. We know that President Trump has often boasted that he's the reason that the United States and Canada and Mexico were able to win and
secure that bid to host the World Cup next summer. But really just touting some of his involvement across the globe, but particularly as it relates to
this event next year.
And just getting back to their relationship, I mean, it's been so fascinating for me. I've covered Trump for many years. I covered him during
his first administration as well.
[13:20:00]
The relationship he has with Infantino has been kind of remarkable to watch. He's been in the Oval Office and to the White House around a dozen -
- or excuse me, half a dozen times just in the second term alone. He's accompanied President Trump, Infantino, to different countries, to the
Middle East, for example. And they've always had very favorable flowery language to reflect of one another. And so, again, it wasn't that
surprising.
But it was surprising in some ways when this was first announced back in November, that they were going to have this, you know, inaugural peace
prize, that they were going to be announcing this accolade at the drawing. It did raise some eyebrows as to, you know, what was the initial purpose
for this and why, and how would they choose the winner? Some of those things not entirely clear, but getting a little bit more clarity, of
course, from Gianni today.
And just overall, Isa, just having watched, I was watching all of the images and some of the videos of the president at this drawing event. I
mean, you can just tell how much he was excited to be there. He cares very much about having the World Cup be in the United States, at least partly
next year. He sees this as a legacy-defining moment for his administration.
And he also, just a little fun fact that we were hearing, because actually our own Kaitlan Collins is on the ground there at the Kennedy Center.
Apparently, the reporters in the press pool that surround the president go with him to events, they were supposed to already leave the event and the
Kennedy Center, and the president said he wanted to stay longer. So, I think that gives you a little insight into how much he is enjoying his time
there. And of course, having accepted that medal, donning it and wearing a big smile as he did so.
SOARES: Why wouldn't you? I mean, your moment in the spotlight, you being - - you know, you've been given a certificate, a medal and a huge trophy. Why wouldn't you stay, right? Alayna, great to see you. Thanks very much
indeed.
And still to come on the show, in just a moment, we expect the draw to start. I promise you, it is about to start. We'll have the details in just
a moment. These are live pictures coming in to us from the Kennedy Center. You see the three leaders of the host nations, Canada, Mexico, the United
States.
Plus, on the show, we get fans' reaction, already coming in with today's men's World Cup draw. Still ahead, we'll go live to our Andy Scholes. He's
with fans at a viewing party in an Irish pub. Apparently, they don't want the group of death. Who does?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:25:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Get your papers and your pen at the ready, because the draw is underway for the FIFA 2026 World Cup. The celebrity
packed ceremony kicked off a bit earlier in Washington with performance by Andrea Bocelli. Comedian Kevin Hart and model Heidi Klum are hosting the
ceremony. And for the first time, next summer's tournament will welcome 48 national teams. And that is a big jump from the previous 32.
Joining me now is World Sports' Amanda Davies. Our Don Riddell is outside the Kennedy Center. So, Don, it's officially underway now. So, for viewers
who are just joining us, talk us through what are we likely to see? Because, of course, it's much bigger than previous years we just outlined.
RIDDELL: Absolutely. 48 teams instead of 32. So, a dozen groups of four teams. And what is going to be different about this tournament, and I
think, you know, at some point today we might be talking about groups of death, where all the teams are really, really competitive.
I'm not sure we're going to be able to call anything a group of death when most of the third-place teams are going to get out of the group into the
knockout stage. But what we're going to see shortly, and this show has dragged on a little bit, is the drawing of all of the top seeds.
So, we've already seen the three host nations drawn into their groups. We already knew what groups they were going to be in. But now we're going to
see the other top seeds drawn, including the top four favorites, who are the defending champions, Argentina, the reigning European champions, Spain,
France and England.
Now, something that's a bit different this year, if those four teams manage to win their groups, then they won't be able to meet until the semifinals.
So, FIFA has seeded it in that regard, in that supposedly the big teams could all still be in contention come the semis. But if they don't win
their groups, if they finish second, or perhaps even limp through in third place, then they, of course, could meet before the semifinal stage.
But the first real part of this draw is taking place now, which is to make sure that the top seeds, which includes the three host nations, which
groups they will be in. And after that, it will get very, very interesting. I mean, there are literally thousands and thousands, I think about 20,000
different permutations of how these groups could all play out.
Remember the rules, FIFA may well need a computer to be able to sort through all of this. But there can be no more than two European teams in
any group and no more than one team from any other confederation in a group. So, you may well have at some point groups drawn into a certain
group and they'll have to say, wait, hold on. Hang on a minute. They can't go there. So, we'll have to put them somewhere else.
But as I say, it is now starting to get exciting. And this is the moment that football fans all over the world really came here for the draw. I
think most fans aren't too bothered about some of the pomp and ceremony and some of the fluff that has already gone. It's the draw that matters.
SOARES: Indeed, it has dragged on. You should know your feet are probably freezing, Don. Stay with us for a bit longer, though. Really appreciate it.
Amanda Davies is here with me. And, Amanda, we've got the pots here. What we're going to start doing is removing some of these. But just talk us
through where we are now, because Don was talking about groups of death, of course. Lots of first-time countries, contenders. What are we seeing?
DAVIES: Yes. Well, I have to say Tom Brady is a man who knows a thing or two about pressure. But drawing the first official ball. Obviously, we've
seen the three political leaders draw the host countries. But Tom Brady has had the honor of drawing the first official ball from this draw. And he
drew out the name of Brazil. So, the five-time record winners of the World Cup.
Carlo Ancelotti, a manager who has won so much in club football, stepping into this role, scratching his head. He didn't give too much away with
Brazil being drawn into position C1. And then we have seen Germany following suit. They will be in position E1. Four-time winners of the World
Cup, but have failed to make it out of the group stage up to this point.
So, we've got -- I have to say, in terms of sporting legends who know a thing or two about winning, we have got them up on stage at the moment, Tom
Brady, Shaq, Aaron Judge, and Wayne Gretzky.
SOARES: And these are all, of course, as Don was saying, the top seeded countries that go first to make sure that it's evened out, right?
[13:30:00]
DAVIES: Yes. So, what happens is that the teams are based into four pots of 12 based on their world ranking. The first three spots taken by the hosts.
And then you have Spain, Argentina, England, Portugal, Brazil, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany. And this is pretty ceremonial. Basically, one ball gets
drawn out at a time and each gets placed into one of the pots. We've got more groups than ever before. 12. So, you've got A to L and that is what is
happening.
But it's the round after this really where things get interesting because then we start seeing who will be playing who.
SOARES: And as we filling this up, Don, as we start -- as Amanda starts filling her sheet of paper that she's very excited to fill up, because
she's had it in her hands for quite a few hours now, what would qualify as -- I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but what would qualify as a
group of death?
RIDDELL: Oh, that's a good question. Well, I mentioned some of the top sides. So, let's say Argentina, Spain, England or France. So, let's start
with them. And then who would be the tough teams from the second pot? So, maybe Croatia or Morocco. Remember, Morocco, the best African team at the
World Cup so far.
DAVIES: This is really -- I have been in this position where Don has been, this is really hard because you haven't got any bits of paper in front of
you and 42 teams. So, yes.
SOARES: And you can't see my wonderful graphics.
RIDDELL: Let's see if I can do it. Let's see if I can do it. So, obviously, we know who the top teams are. They're all coming out first. The second
pot, I would say Croatia, who made it to the semis last time, the final time before that. You know, they're in Morocco, I would say arguably some
of the big teams in pot two. The team that everybody will want to avoid in pot three is Norway and Erling Haaland, the goal machine, who scored more
goals single-handedly than 33 other teams in Europe in qualifying. And then from the last pot, maybe Ghana, perhaps.
I'm maybe thinking about this from a U.S. perspective of what would be a nightmare draw for them. So, some of those teams, I think, would be the
ones to avoid. But yes, I think whichever group Norway get into from the third pot, that will really shake things up a bit. Nobody wants to play
them.
GOLODRYGA: Go ahead, Amanda.
DAVIES: Just the only other -- from these slightly strange, unnamed countries that we've got.
SOARES: The playoffs, right?
DAVIES: But these are the playoffs where there's a lot of teams still in the hunt for these final six places and the team that everybody wants to
avoid if they get there, but you have to say they haven't made it through the playoffs for the last two editions of the tournament, Italy, four-time
champions, ranked number 12 in the world. Italians questioning, again, how on earth they can be in that position. But they would completely skew a
group if they go through and are the pot 4 team.
SOARES: The first pot, I think, is complete. I think we've got a sense of what that looks like, Amanda. Just talk us through. I know you're jotting
them down. Talk us through who we have very briefly so people can try and visualize it here. So, we know where Mexico is.
DAVIES: So, Mexico, A1. They are the team that will kick off, as we were hearing, the World Cup on June the 11th at home. Then we have Canada, the
hosts -- co-hosts at Group B. Five-time champions Brazil in Group C, looking to win their first World Cup since 2002. Group D is where the USA
will be. Germany, Group E, looking to make it out of the group for the first time in three World Cups. The Netherlands in Group F. Belgium, Group
G. Spain, many people's favorites, the top-ranked country in the world, they are Group H. Last time out, runner-up, France in Group I.
This is the uncharted territory. When we get down to I, J, K, and L, we've never had them at a World Cup before. The defending champions, Argentina,
they are the ones in Group G -- sorry, J.
SOARES: J, yes.
DAVIES: Portugal. I know you will have an interest in them, K. And then I, of course, will have my vested interest in Group L, which is England.
SOARES: And, Don, we will touch base with you in the next moments as we start to fill in this chart to get a better sense. I think now it's going
to start getting interesting, right? Now, we're going to start seeing the competition. Don, thank you very much. Do some jumping jacks. Keep yourself
warm. Amanda will stay with us for the time being.
Let me go to Andy Scholes, who is outside a Nourish pub in Atlanta with fan reaction. And I'm not sure, Andy, whether you heard the discussion between
Amanda, myself, and Don. We're starting to get a sense of what that looks like from a U.S. perspective. What countries do Americans want to avoid
here?
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I tell you what, a lot of the fans I talk to here, they said they want a challenge. They want some tough
teams in that group to really get them ready for the round of 32 or the round of 16. You know, they're very optimistic about the chances of Team
USA this year, of course, with the World Cup being on home soil.
[13:35:00]
Here in Atlanta, it's been just an absolute party here for the draw. You know, Atlanta, it's hosting eight World Cup games. It's got a semifinal.
You know, it's going to host more World Cup games here in U.S., other than Arlington, Texas, who has nine, which is the most for any city.
But as I said, and I talked to people, lots of optimism. You know, Team USA, they've had their ups and downs when it comes to the World Cup. They
didn't even qualify for one of them. But take a listen to some of the fans I talked to and how they think Team USA is going to fare this time around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think a quarterfinals is -- would be acceptable for most people. But let's just go ahead and say semifinal. Let's push it.
Let's get behind the team and push them through to the semis. That would be awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quarterfinals, for sure. I'm pulling for semis. We're going to make it and we're going to surprise everybody. We're going to get
to the finals.
SCHOLES: Oh, I guess. That'd be amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go. Let's go. Let's do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, we're home. You got to dream big, right? Finals. Finals. Let's go. Let's do it. Let's make history, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be a loyal and good fan and say we're going to take the whole thing.
SCHOLES: Whole thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to win the whole thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: That certainly would be something if Team USA was able to win the whole thing. You know, the best they've ever done in a modern World Cup is
reach a quarterfinals. But as you just heard, a lot of fans optimistic they're going to do even better than that.
SOARES: I agree with them. You know, Andy, go big or go home. You want to go all the way. None of this -- you know, none of this or we will be OK
with quarters. If you're going to be in it, you're going to be in it to win it, right?
SCHOLES: Right.
SOARES: Exactly. Let me ask you a question. You've got so many people there watching the World Cup draw as it's happening right now. You know, we've
got three nations hosting this. This is miles, time zones apart, miles apart. From a logistical point of view, are people prepared to make that
journey?
SCHOLES: Certainly. And I tell you what, I spoke to a lot of fans. You know, Atlanta, a very international city. I spoke to fans here that were
from Argentina, from Spain, from Brazil. You know, they were born in those countries. They now live in Atlanta. One kid, his name is Antonio from
Brazil. He told me this is going to be the best year of his life because he plans on following Brazil wherever they go in the United States, Canada or
Mexico. He could not be more excited about it.
And, you know, it will be spread out. You know, Team USA is going to start in -- at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, then go up to Washington for a game,
come back to Los Angeles, and then we'll find out from there where they go. You know, Team USA will obviously have fans wherever they are.
But I tell you what, the fans here that I've talked to, super excited no matter where they are from. And I bet they're going to -- you know, all
these countries are going to have big delegations when the games come around in the summer of 2026.
SOARES: Look, I know, Andy, you're not a betting man, but what team would you not want to be with Team USA? What other teams? Come on.
SCHOLES: Well, you know, you don't want Croatia, right? They're the top ranked team in the second pot. Then you got, you know, Norway, the top
ranked team in the third pot. You know, those are the obvious answers. But, you know, Ghana has always been a thorn in the side of Team USA. That's
probably the one we want to avoid the most, even though they are in the fourth pot.
SOARES: Right. We're keeping an eye on the draw. We'll let you know how easy or how tough it's going to be. Andy, as always, thank you.
Well, next year's World Cup is expected to have more players and more fans watching than ever. 48 teams, you heard from our correspondents, from 48
different nations competing in front of 7 million people in stadiums. An event of this scale, of course, requires the latest and the greatest in
technology. And senior FIFA officials say they are considering introducing new technologies to help keep the games fair.
For more on that, I'm joined by CNN's Patrick Snell. So, Patrick, just talk us through -- good to see you, by the way. I hope you're as excited as we
are here, as we're jotting all this down and trying to unpack it all. Just talk us through the technologies that they're talking about introducing and
if there are any concerns at all at this stage about some of them.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, hi there, Isa. Yes, the excitement mounts there, no question, over in Washington, D.C. But is a -- you know,
it's going to be a World Cup next year of groundbreaking first. And when it comes to technology, it is no exception as well.
Now, these have been trialed before. I was at the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this year in the United States, where they tried out the semi-
automated offside technology. And to use a good old golfing analogy, Isa, it's all about keeping up the pace of play.
What happens is now, typically, when you have an offside, there's controversy. They go to the video assistant referee or VAR, the V-A-R, and
it can take minutes to actually come to a decision. They check it, they recheck it. It's no fun for the players, no fun for the officials, no fun
for the fans either. So, this is all about reducing that time, keeping up the pace of play, as they say, multiple cameras around the stadium.
[13:40:00]
You get the audio alerts to the officials in quick time, relatively speaking, and it just cuts out all the waiting around. And I really do
think this is good for the game. FIFA, the tournament organizers of the Club World Cup, deeming it a success from earlier on this year. But there's
more to it as well. There's other technologies we've already seen across some of Europe's biggest leagues. Referees' body cameras.
Now, people may not have a too good opinion of this. Some might say it's gimmicky. But I personally like it because what you get to see is you get
to see certain incidents that you never get a camera angle on up close and personal. You get to see it on the big screen. The TV viewers as well can
watch at home. Fans in the stadium can get unique insights from a referee's perspective. So, that's kind of cool. And that's something to watch out
for.
And also, goalkeepers. Over many years, certain goalkeepers will try and run down the clock. Some will hold on to it excessively. Well, if they do
so beyond eight seconds, there will be a corner to the opposing team. And that is something that they have to keep an eye on. No question about that,
especially if they're trying to run down the clock.
This is all yet to be ratified. We'll see if that happens early next year. FIFA saying that they deny this is actually going to be a new version of
the sport created. I like some of it, but jury is still out on other aspects. But technology rules the roost at the moment.
SOARES: It does seem to be. I know that hasn't been verified, but the referees cams, I'm intrigued by this, Patrick, because will this be used to
verify certain incidents, will be able to see in real-time? How exactly will this be used?
SNELL: Yes, it certainly can be. That's certainly an option. You know, the moments of controversy when they check, when they recheck things. And
giving another perspective as well. I personally would like to see the fans have some kind of input, but I don't think that's going to happen. But it's
something we've seen in the English Premier League, particularly the start of this season.
I don't dismiss it as a gimmick. I think there's a lot more to it than that. And I think it's definitely here to stay, Isa.
SOARES: And when do -- we when will we find out, Patrick, when these technologies will actually be approved, if they'll be approved?
SNELL: Yes, in terms of timeline, I think we can expect early next year. That's still several months out from the start of the 2026 tournament. But
it's definitely one to keep an eye on. Exciting times for the sport, a historic World Cup in every way. And especially when it comes to technology
as well.
SOARES: Patrick, really, really appreciate you breaking it all down for us, Patrick Snell, for us in Atlanta. Well, it's been some 30 years since the
World Cup has been played on American soil. The USA men's team captain tells my colleagues on CNN News Central what it means to have the U.S. co-
hosting the biggest football party in the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's exciting. It's -- imagine a Super Bowl being played every single day for a month. But not just one Super Bowl, multiple Super
Bowls across the country. It is. It's an exciting time. And the team is ready to go. We're excited. And now, with the draw here, it feels real. It
feels on our doorstep and we're ready to ready to get after it.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And for not fans, what this means is you today find out who you play in the group stage. There'll be three other teams.
You're going to play each of those teams. Any -- who do you want to play? Who don't you want to play?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there's anybody that you do or you don't want to play. I think when you go into a tournament, you have to play
whoever's in front of you. You have to play the game. And we're excited to find out who we play, because then the real preparation is there. It's on
our doorstep. We're thinking about how tangible these games are coming up.
And we're not worried. We're not -- you know, we're not anxious on who it's going to be or, you know, if it's the best team in the world or someone
who's very small. We're just excited to be a part of it. And yes, we're excited to get going.
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: OK. I hate to bring up this fact, but I think you're the only player on the team that was old enough to be around when
the first game - the first time FIFA World Cup came to the United States. Look, you're still a young man. You're in your 30s, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SIDNER: But how do you prepare yourself? What are your secrets to keeping yourself at this extreme top-level athleticism? I'm just trying to learn.
I'm trying to take -- this as a selfish question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would -- honestly, we would be here all day. I can't go through everything. It takes a lot. It does. And it starts -- you know,
with me, it started really young. Knowing what was good for me, what wasn't. Sleep is a big thing.
SIDNER: Well, I failed on that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm into Pilates. Pilates has helped me quite a bit.
BERMAN: I can tell. You have great course rank.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. But listen, it's the enjoyment. It's the fun factor. It's still -- you know, I still love what I do every single day.
And it's something that I continue to enjoy. And that keeps me feeling young and feeling like I can run around with the 20-somethings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Really appreciate. Really good to have some to hear from some of the players, of course. Do stay right here. We're going to take a short
break. We'll have much more, of course, of our breaking news coverage on this FIFA World Cup draw.
[13:45:00]
Watching it closely, of course, President Trump, President Sheinbaum, Prime Minister Malkani, leaders of the co-host nations. Taking a short break.
We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. The world is anxiously watching as decisions are made ahead. The largest ever tournament in the world's most
watched sporting event, the FIFA Men's World Cup 2026.
Right now, in the U.S. Capitol, President Trump is hosting many of the world's greatest coaches and players at the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts, where they're learning who they will be battling in the group stages.
Our Amanda Davies is back with me. Our Don Riddell is outside the Kennedy Center. So, Don, let me go to you first. We are starting to get a sense of
some of the matches. Talk us through what you have seen, what you're excited about here. I'm seeing England, Croatia. That's quite a battle in
Group L.
RIDDELL: Right. So, that is a repeat of the semifinal in 2018, which Croatia won. They went on to the final that year and lost to France,
famously. So, yes, that's a good matchup.
These are the ones that caught my eye, just kind of like going down the first 24 teams that were drawn. The USA, one of the three co-hosts against
Australia. I think that's about as easy a draw as they could have got. The second part. So, the American team, I think, will be thrilled. There was
certainly some laughter in the room I was in when the Australians were drawn out.
What else have we got? I would say France, Senegal is interesting. It's certainly historically interesting. Remember, France were the champions in
1998. In 2002, as defending champions, they were beaten by Senegal in the first game. And that contributed significantly to Les Bleus being knocked
out of that tournament in the group stage. So, those, I think, are the interesting games that jump out at me so far.
But I know that the teams are being pulled out of pot three as we speak. And as we said earlier, the team that nobody wants is Norway and Erling
Haaland. Where are they going to land? We'll soon find out.
SOARES: Yes. We're waiting, of course, for that moment. Amanda's with me now. Amanda, one group that I'm kind of anxious, I'm sweating about it
already, is Portugal, because now we're in group K and my husband's Colombian. And I think I might have a marital breakdown at this point.
[13:50:00]
DAVIES: This is the joy of World Cup draw days.
SOARES: I won't speak to him for several days. But talk us through, I mean, Don quite rightly pointing out, you know, the French match, the France,
Senegal for cultural links as well. But there are other standouts.
DAVIES: Yes. And I think -- I mean, going back to that host point, I think actually, from what we've seen so far, all three host countries will be
pretty pleased with their draws so far. Group D with the USA, USA, Paraguay and Australia. Canada in group B have been drawn with Qatar, who, if you
remember, put in the worst performance ever by a host nation last time around. And I think the overriding thought is, if there hadn't been the
expansion of this tournament, they wouldn't have made the World Cup by rights again. They're in the same group as Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
And then Mexico with Korea Republic against South Africa. I think for me, group C looks really, really tasty.
SOARES: That's Brazil, Morocco at this moment, right?
DAVIES: That is Brazil and Morocco. Morocco, the team that picked up so many fans, wrote so many headlines there in Qatar. There's been a real
process.
SOARES: And now, they've got Scotland.
DAVIES: And now, they have drawn --
SOARES: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland. From my wee producer, Anna, who's in the control room. She will be sweating like me.
DAVIES: Do you know what? Group C is going to be a party with the fans from Brazil, Morocco and Scotland. Scotland, as we saw those scenes with them
making it through in such epic fashion back to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998. And Brazil, you know, the country who feels by
right, they should be getting their hands on this trophy, haven't done since 2002. The stakes are so, so high for them.
So, I mean, it's one of those groups that for the neutrals is going to be brilliant. But you can only imagine the feeling of the teams sitting inside
that room, seeing their names.
SOARES: And as you're talking, I was looking at group H, Spain, front runners, of course -- considered by many the front runners, have Uruguay,
that'll be quite something as well between Spain, Uruguay, because, of course, for historical links. But I think -- who else is in, Saudi Arabia?
DAVIES: And Saudi Arabia.
SOARES: Saudi Arabia is now being -- that's not a bad draw for Spain.
DAVIES: It's not. I think Saudi Arabia for a long time in the tournament in Qatar with a team that were really leading the charge for the Middle East
countries. And I think football investing very much so in their football with that longer-term view. So, it will be really interesting to see how
they have developed over the period. And Spain feel, much like Brazil, this is a tournament they need to get back to winning ways. You know, they
haven't won it since 2010. And they have that incredible wealth of young talent, the likes of Lamine Yamal. And want to build on that European
championship success.
SOARES: And as you're talking, I'm seeing Uzbekistan. There's a host of new countries joining, right? Smaller nations. I'm thinking Cape Verde. Of
course, I'm also thinking Haiti, Uzbekistan. This is a big deal for them.
DAVIES: This is. I think I haven't seen Uzbekistan come out. They are one of those new countries who are in this pot three.
SOARES: They're in Portugal with groups. So, we've got Colombia, Portugal, Uzbekistan, all in Group K.
DAVIES: So, Uzbekistan, this is their eighth attempt at qualifying for a World Cup. And they have finally made it. The only Central Asian team whose
name is in this draw. So, this is a huge moment for them against two nations who are far more established, of course, on the footballing map.
But this is why this expansion of the tournament has been taking place.
I'm getting anxious, Isa, because --
SOARES: She's anxious because she's waiting for England.
DAVIES: No, I do not. I'm not anxious because of that. I'm anxious because the balls are coming out of the pot and I haven't written them on my
spreadsheet. And I don't know if I'm going to have a chance to catch up.
SOARES: We'll have a two-minute break before, so we can write it down. But we're now -- as you are talking, we're now waiting for Group L, which is
England, Croatia. And now, we fill that up with Panama.
DAVIES: This is the best.
SOARES: Panama is now --
DAVIES: It's --
SOARES: That's not bad.
DAVIES: There's a bit of World Cup tournament history going on there. But, you know, England -- Don mentioned England against Croatia in the semifinal
in 2018. England did get some semblance of revenge when it came to the European Championships.
SOARES: Not looking too bad, I'm thinking, for Group I, France. I think it has -- comes up with Senegal. It hasn't filled up, of course, now.
DAVIES: In terms of the talent, France and Senegal in that same grand. Here we go.
SOARES: That's getting interesting now.
DAVIES: I mean, if I was excited about the Brazil, Morocco, Scotland group, to have that group, France, Senegal and Norway.
SOARES: This is Group I, by the way, Group I.
DAVIES: The team that scored more goals than any other in qualifying. A huge moment for Erling Haaland, for Martin Odegaard, who are far too far
down the rankings and far too far down the pot group to where they should be. They were the one team, when we were talking about the group of death,
who do you want to avoid? It was Norway.
[13:55:00]
And Didier Deschamps heading into his last World Cup with France.
SOARES: Had to face Haaland.
DAVIES: Yes, that is going to be quite some group as a battle.
SOARES: We are starting to see everything fill up, as you can see on your screen. We are Group I, as Amanda was saying, France, Norway, and Senegal.
Group L, England, Croatia, and Panama. We are not yet there, Amanda. I mean, who decides there's a group of death? I'm guessing it's by whether we
feel it's going to be a tough one, right?
DAVIES: Exactly.
SOARES: There's different perspectives on this.
DAVIES: Yes, exactly. And I think if you're France, you will say you're in the group of death. I would say if you're Brazil or Morocco or Scotland,
you would say you're in the group of death. But as we said, it's an expanded tournament. We've never had two groups. Maybe we can have more
than one this year.
SOARES: Do we know where Ireland is at the moment? No? Has anyone seen it? We will check where they would be. We will check on that.
DAVIES: No, because they're still in the playoffs.
SOARES: They're still in the playoffs, right?
DAVIES: So, that is Pot 4. So, we haven't got to Pot 4 yet. They are about to start.
SOARES: Wonderful. We are going to continue filling our -- Amanda's chart. You get a better sense, of course, of how this is heating up. Do stay right
here. I'll be back with another hour of breaking news of our coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw. I'll see you in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:00:00]
END
