Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Good afternoon from the White House, where the small handful of reporters still here are gathered around mobile phones, laptops and televisions to watch the event at the nearby Kennedy Centre.

For the White House press corps, Donald Trump's receiving of the inaugual Fifa Peace Prize is no surprise, and was widely expected.

Infantino's presence at the signing of a peace deal yesterday between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda made it almost a certainly.

Still, the prize represents an important moment for President Trump, who regularly mentions the eight wars he claims to have so far ended.

This, many observers are likely to say, will be taken as a validation of his approach.

Notably, the video played before Trump took the stage made note of continued efforts to end the war in Ukraine - which the administration still very much sees as perhaps its most pressing foreign policy challenge as we head towards 2026.

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

The first batch of tickets went on sale at the start of October, with more than 4.5 million fans entering a draw for a chance to buy them.

Fifa has not formally revealed a full price list, but they are being listed online by fans who were successful in the draw after spending hours in digital queues.

General admission tickets are being split into four categories, with those for the first match in the USA costing between $560 (£417) and $2,235 (£1,662).

The cheapest ticket for the 2026 final costs $2,030 (£1,510), and the most expensive is $6,000 (£4,462). Hospitality tickets, meanwhile, are yet to go on sale but will almost certainly be priced significantly higher.

Some tickets for matches early in the tournament - in a few of the less prestigious locations - are available for $60 (£44), but stadium map images show they are a tiny proportion of available seats.

The third phase of ticketing - the Random Selection Draw - will begin on 11 December and close on 13 January, when fans will be able to apply for single-match tickets based on exact fixtures. Supporters will then be told if they have been successful.

A last-minute sales phase will take place closer to the tournament, during which fans will be able to purchase any remaining inventory on a first come, first served basis.

Fifa is adopting a 'dynamic' pricing model for the tournament, meaning ticket prices for matches deemed high demand could be raised significantly during later sales periods.

Controversially, Fifa also has a resale platform where tickets can be resold at any price, usually much higher than the original cost, with the governing body also adding 15% charges on both the buyer and seller.

Leehyun Choi
reporting from Seoul

Lee Jung Gyue, 29, a football fan in Suwon, South Korea, tells the BBC he hopes his team will be matched against some of the weaker opponents and avoid an early group stage confrontation with a stronger team, specifically naming Brazil, England, France and Argentina.

“Korea’s done so well in the past. We made it to the round of 16 in the last World Cup in Qatar, which was amazing,” he says. “That was a very dramatic, exciting arc, led by Coach Paulo Bento. Beyond everyone’s expectations, I'm sure. For this upcoming World Cup, my hopes are not that high. Korean soccer has had some issues lately. We’ve had controversies surrounding the KFA (Korean Football Association) director, the hiring of the national coach, and so on.”

Beyond Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in “we don’t quite have any star players in our pool, and you can’t win a match with a single star player”.

He adds: “That’s when teamwork becomes important, and I’m not very confident in Coach Hong's ability to strategize and lead the team to success.”

“As fed up as I am, I will watch every single game. That's how it goes,” he says. “When Korea’s out, I’ll support England. I’m an England fan.”

We're now within about 12 minutes of the draw actually starting.

Dion Dublin
Former England striker on BBC Two

It's going to be an amazing tournament. The spectacle itself is going to be incredible. The quality of football. The smaller countries are getting the chance as well, the ones we don't know so much about, so I think that's brilliant.

I cannot wait.

Asma Khalid
Co-host, The Global Story Podcast

The BBC’s sports editor, Dan Roan, speaks to Asma Khalid on today’s episode of The Global Story podcast, where he charts Gianni Infantino’s close friendship with President Trump since they were both elected in 2016.

Infantino awarded Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at today’s World Cup draw in Washington DC, and that has led to questions over whether the line between FIFA and politics is being blurred.

Donald Trump, President of the United States and recipient of the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize, speaking at the 2026 World Cup draw: "The world is a safer place now. The USA was not doing well a year ago, now we are the hottest country in the world right now."

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump, President of the United States and recipient of the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize, speaking at the 2026 World Cup draw: "This is truly one of the great honours of my life.

"We saved millions of lives - the Congo as an example, 10 million died, they were heading for 10 million very quickly. Also with India and Pakistan, we also stopped wars happening just before they started.

"Gianni has done an incredible job, you have set new record on ticket sales. It is a nice tribute to you and the game of football, or as we call it soccer. It is beyond the numbers we thought were possible."

Donald Trump is now giving a speech.

Donald Trump is given a medal with a big trophy next to him as Fifa president Gianni Infantino lists the reasons he has been given the award.

US President Donald Trump is awarded the first Fifa Peace Prize.

Image source, Getty Images

These are the city hosts involved in each group.

Group A: Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mexico City (Mexico), Atlanta (US)

Group B: Toronto, Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle (US)

Group C: Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (US)

Group D: Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle (US)

Group E: Toronto (Canada), Houston, Kansas City, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (US)

Group F: Monterrey (Mexico), Dallas, Houston, Kansas (US)

Group G: Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, Seattle (US)

Group H: Guadalajara (Mexico), Atlanta, Houston, Miami (US)

Group I: Toronto (Canada), Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (US)

Group J: Dallas, Kansas, San Francisco (US)

Group K: Guadalajara, Mexico City (Mexico), Atlanta, Houston, Miami (USA)

Group L: Toronto (Canada), Dallas, New York/New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia (USA)

"That will be a song for the summer," says presenter Kevin Hart about the thing Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger sang.

Image source, Getty Images

England manager Thomas Tuchel says he may have his substitutes stay in the dressing room during matches at the World Cup because of the risks posed by high temperatures.

"If this is what helps us later in matches when they come on, we have to consider it a possibility," he said.

"Nobody likes it because I want the players to be out there to feel the energy and give us energy from the bench on to the field.

"But I saw players doing this at the Club World Cup. Hopefully we can avoid it. It's always better when they can be with us outside."

Tuchel's old club Borussia Dortmund did this during the first half of a game this summer in the US.

Image source, Getty Images

Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger are on stage now to sing a song.

My colleague Dale Johnson has worked out what he thinks is the best and worst case scenario for England and Scotland.

Best draw for England: England, Austria, Uzbekistan, Haiti

Worst draw for England: England, Uruguay, Egypt, Uefa Play-off A

Best draw for Scotland: Canada, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand

Worst draw for Scotland: Argentina, Morocco, Scotland, Uefa Play-off A

*Path A is the one involving Italy, Wales, Bosnia and Northern Ireland

Tom English
BBC Scotland chief sports writer

In a process of unending complexity there is a sliver of simplicity at the heart of it. If Scotland draw a host nation - USA, Canada or Mexico - they will not have to wait until Saturday to get a full picture of what awaits them next summer. It'll all be revealed on the night.

If they're drawn with Mexico then, like in France '98, Scotland will play in the opening game of the tournament against the Mexicans on 11 June at the Azteca Stadium. Their other two games will be in Atlanta on 18 June against whatever pot four team they're pitched in with and in Guadalupe on 24 June against their pot two rival.

If it's Canada they're drawn with then Scotland will play their opener in San Francisco on 13 June against their pot two rival, then they'll face Canada in Vancouver on 18 June followed by a move to Seattle to face their pot four foe.

If it's the USA they're drawn with then it's America versus Scotland on 12 June in California followed by games against sides from pot four and pot two and both of those will be in San Francisco. If you're going, then never mind the flowers in your hair. Just focus on the fury in your fingertips as you book flights and accommodation online.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has been talking for over six minutes solid now and he is leading the crowd in a chant of USA, followed by Canada and then Mexico.

Image source, Getty Images

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
reporting from Philadelphia

Image source, BBC / Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu

English expats Simon Jaworski and Sam Jacobson are hoping today’s draw brings the Three Lions to Philadelphia or New Jersey, so they are able to watch some games live.

“The excitement is unparalleled,” Jaworski, a market researcher from Manchester says. “This is the single greatest thing since 1776. Unlike 1776, England's coming back and England's taking the title at Metlife Stadium on July 19th We're going to add a second star to the shirt.”

Jacobson, owner of an English restaurant in Philadelphia and originally from London, predicts England’s group will have Iraq, Scotland, and the Ivory Coast.