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U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Prime Minister Mark Carney during the 2026 World draw.STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH/Reuters
Mark Carney turned on the charm with Donald Trump at the FIFA World Cup draw as he engaged in frequent banter throughout the event, hunkered down for a 45-minute meeting afterward and drew plaudits for Canada’s “friendship” from the famously mercurial U.S. President.
The Prime Minister, who is hoping to persuade Mr. Trump not to pull his country out of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and to negotiate an end to his punishing tariffs, jetted down to Washington Friday to catch the President on a day when he would be in a particularly good mood.
At the FIFA draw, Mr. Trump received a peace prize created especially for him, bragged about the World Cup’s ticket sales and was serenaded by the Village People and Andrea Bocelli, two of his favourite musical acts. Wayne Gretzky, a favourite Canadian of the President’s, also played a key role in the proceedings.
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Mr. Carney, Mr. Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, whose countries are co-hosting next summer’s soccer tournament, sat next to each other for most of the event, which unfolded at the Kennedy Center. The trio smiled and chatted throughout, with Mr. Carney occasionally leaning across Ms. Sheinbaum – who sat in the middle – to get closer to Mr. Trump.
Later, the three retreated to a private room without staff for a more-in-depth tête-à-tête. Audrey Champoux, Mr. Carney’s spokesperson, said that in the meeting, the leaders “agreed to keep working together” on USMCA.
Both Canada and Mexico are fighting to preserve the trade pact, which Mr. Trump has mused about quitting when it comes up for review next year, and trying to negotiate an end to the U.S. President’s tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum and other goods.
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Mr. Trump broke off negotiations with Canada on tariffs in October because of a pro-free-trade ad aired in the U.S. by the Ontario government.
In his acceptance speech for the FIFA Peace Prize, Mr. Trump was laudatory of his World Cup co-hosts.
“We’ve had a tremendous relationship, working relationship, with Canada,” he said, before introducing Mr. Carney and Ms. Sheinbaum. “The co-ordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding and I want to thank you both very much and your countries very much.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who created the peace prize barely a month ago, presented Mr. Trump with a trophy consisting of a gold-looking globe held up by disembodied hands.
“There is also a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go,” Mr. Infantino said, as Mr. Trump promptly placed the medallion around his neck. The President praised Mr. Infantino for “setting new records on ticket sales” and boasted that the U.S. is “the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
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The audience, largely consisting of FIFA dignitaries, reacted with only a smattering of applause. Mr. Infantino’s courtship of Mr. Trump has been contentious, with critics charging that it goes far beyond maintaining good relations with a host country and veers into the territory of endorsing his controversial policy agenda.
Mr. Gretzky, another figure who has taken flak for his close relationship with Mr. Trump, served as one of four sports personalities to perform the draw itself, alongside former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, NFL legend Tom Brady and New York Yankee slugger Aaron Judge.
The former Edmonton Oiler great, who wore a Maple Leaf pin, has golfed with Mr. Trump and hung out at Mar-a-Lago this year, even as the President threatened to annex Canada as the U.S.’s “51st state” and encouraged Mr. Gretzky to run for “governor.”
On Friday, Mr. Gretzky mostly attracted attention on social media for mispronouncing the names of various countries in the draw, rendering Curaçao as “Curocko,” for instance.
In his brief public comments, Mr. Carney lauded Canada’s multicultural diversity, which Mr. Trump’s own Vice-President, JD Vance, criticized last month as “immigration insanity” leading to a “stagnating country.”
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“There’s more than 200 nationalities in Canada, more than 200 nationalities in FIFA, the top 48 are coming to North America,” Mr. Carney said, referring to the countries qualifying for the tournament.
Ms. Sheinbaum, meanwhile, made a point of championing Mexico’s “extraordinary, hard-working people.” Mr. Trump frequently portrays Mexican migrants as violent criminals to justify his crackdown on immigration.
If such comments from the Canadian and Mexican leaders were intended as statements of principle, they were oblique. While neither Mr. Carney nor Ms. Sheinbaum has worked to woo Mr. Trump the way Mr. Infantino has, they have been studiously careful to maintain a chummy rapport, lest they be hit with even more tariffs.
During the event’s conclusion, as the Village People performed Y.M.C.A. and Mr. Trump stood up to perform his signature dance moves, Mr. Carney and Ms. Sheinbaum remained seated, engrossed in conversation. Only at the very end did Mr. Carney get to his feet to applaud as FIFA dignitaries turned to snap photos of Mr. Trump.
Also attending the event on the Canadian side were Mr. Carney’s wife, Diana Fox Carney, Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., and several of Mr. Carney’s aides.
After the event, Mr. Carney met with the pro-free-trade U.S. Chamber of Commerce and attended a Christmas-tree lighting ceremony at the Canadian embassy before flying back to Ottawa.
What’s Canada’s path to the World Cup?
On Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. ET, sports reporter Paul Attfield and columnist Cathal Kelly will answer reader questions on Canada’s path in the 2026 World Cup and how it could fare in the group matchups and beyond. Submit your questions in the form below, or by e-mailing audience@globeandmail.com with “World Cup” in the subject line.
