FIFA will use Kennedy Center free of charge for World Cup event, contract says

Source: Washington Post

November 13, 2025 at 5:00 a.m. EST


FIFA will not pay a rental fee when it takes over much of the Kennedy Center later this month for the 2026 World Cup draw, according to a copy of the venue use agreement obtained by The Washington Post and other internal documents. The center’s arrangement with soccer’s international governing body will disrupt its performance schedule, forcing the relocation or postponement of several concerts at an institution that has seen a sharp decline in ticket sales since it was taken over by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

To prepare for the draw, which is scheduled for Dec. 5, FIFA will occupy performance spaces and other sections of the Kennedy Center for almost three weeks, according to the documents and a center employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the agreement.

Scheduled performances from the National Symphony Orchestra during that period — from Nov. 24 to Dec. 12 — have been postponed, said the person and another employee with knowledge of the changes who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal. One NSO concert, a Dec. 9 performance to the movie “Home Alone,” was moved to another venue in Washington, while one highlight of the orchestra season, NSO music director Gianandrea Noseda’s concert weekend with opera singer Camilla Nylund, was moved to March 2026. The online calendar on the Kennedy Center’s website shows a thinned-out schedule in the weeks surrounding the World Cup event.

It is not unusual for countries to take on significant expenses to host the World Cup, nor would this be the first time that FIFA has booked a venue for the draw free. But it marks a change at the Kennedy Center, which boasts a packed lineup most weeks. The organization’s coffers have been a source of intrigue this year as new executives brought on under Trump have accused past management of causing a financial crisis at the center, something those leaders deny. (The center has declined several requests from The Post to share concrete details about its financials.)

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/11/13/fifa-kennedy-center/