Kennedy Center Says FIFA Is Paying $7.4M to Host World Cup Draw as Senate Probes Spending

The Kennedy Center announced that FIFA is providing $7.4 million in connection with hosting the World Cup draw at the performing arts venue on Dec. 5. Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, said the total includes a $2.4 million donation and roughly $5 million in separate sponsorship commitments.

Payment Breakdown and Terms

Daravi said FIFA "has also given us sponsorship opportunities separate from their commitments for an additional $5 million." She added, "When you look at the full picture, it totals $7.4 million to the Kennedy Center, plus incurred expenses."

Documents released by Senate Democrats indicate the center granted FIFA exclusive use of the facility from Nov. 24 through Dec. 12 without a conventional rental fee. Critics say that arrangement could have cost the venue millions in potential rental revenue; Kennedy Center officials say FIFA paid as a sponsor and covered event expenses.

Senate Scrutiny and Management Questions

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the senior Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, released records showing the exclusivity agreement and has pressed the center for additional documents and explanations. A committee spokesperson said officials have requested records from the Kennedy Center but had not yet received them.

Whitehouse and other Democrats have highlighted other expenditures by the center’s leadership, including roughly $10,773 in food, private meals and alcohol from April to July and $27,185 in temporary hotel room charges for new hires at the Watergate Hotel over a similar period. Whitehouse characterized some of those costs as unrelated to necessary fundraising or onboarding activities.

Kennedy Center Response

Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s president, disputed those characterizations. He told the committee and the public that FIFA’s payments were sponsorship revenue rather than traditional rent and that FIFA would cover event costs. Grenell also defended the center’s spending, saying food and beverage charges were tied to donor events and citing fundraising expenditures of $4 million from April through June 2024 and $9.3 million for the full year. He noted he had raised $117 million this year.

On new-hire lodging, Grenell said short-term hotel stays are common as employees prepare to relocate to Washington; he added that prior leadership had spent substantially more at the same hotel.

Political Context

The dispute has taken place against a backdrop of political change at the Kennedy Center. After returning to Washington, President Donald Trump replaced the institution’s leadership, appointed Grenell, and filled the board of trustees with his supporters; Trump said he was elected board chair. The World Cup draw’s move to Washington — after initial expectations that it would be held in Las Vegas — followed discussions between Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Infantino has also met with Trump in the Oval Office and attended related events.

Infantino was reported among attendees at a dinner honoring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The draw will be followed days later by the Kennedy Center Honors, which this year will recognize George Strait, Kiss, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone; Grenell said the president would host the ceremony.

If the committee’s requests yield additional documents, they could clarify whether the sponsorship arrangement and other expenses complied with the Kennedy Center’s policies and whether the center forewent revenue by granting exclusive use to FIFA. Kennedy Center officials maintain that the arrangement represents sponsorship revenue and that FIFA covered event-related expenses.

Reporting contributions: Graham Dunbar.