Cash-strapped Kennedy Center letting FIFA use facilities rent-free for weeks: report

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts will be postponing previously booked events so the Donald Trump administration can let FIFA, the cash-rich governing body of international soccer, use the facilities for free in late November into early December.

According to a report from the Washington Post, the televised draw for the 2026 World Cup will occur at the nation’s cultural center which has been reeling from poor ticket sales and longtime donors cutting off funds since the president fired the board, took over control and installed his own people.

Since the takeover, major acts have cancelled after the president complained the Kennedy Center offerings were “woke,” with ticket sales collapsing, and acts that did fulfill their contractual obligations playing before a sea of empty seats.

Despite the cash crunch, Trump’s people have agreed to waive rent for FIFA, which has had the effect of putting off or cancelling previously scheduled shows that would provide much-needed revenue.

The Post’s Janay Kingsberry and Rick Maese are reporting the FIFA World Cup draw scheduled for Dec. 5, “... 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.”

The report notes that the event was originally planned for Las Vegas before Trump swooped in and convinced FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a frequent guest at White House events, to move it to Washington D.C.

According to the report, “The Kennedy Center currently quotes a standard rate of $39,000 to rent the Concert Hall and $18,000 for the Eisenhower Theater. Those are rates for single nights, suggesting a multiweek rental of much of the campus, such as FIFA’s, could cost significantly more.”

The popular Kennedy Center Honors program is slated to take place just two days after the FIFA takeover, with staffers worried about the limited amount of time to pull together the annual televised event.

According to a report in September from the Guardian, artists have been facing halls with up to 80 percent of seats unoccupied creating a major financial shortfall.

Less than a week ago it was reported that the Washington National Opera was looking into moving to a new location with Artistic Director Francesca Zambello stating, "It is our desire to perform in our home at the Kennedy Center. But if we cannot raise enough money, or sell enough tickets in there, we have to consider other options."

You can read more on the FIFA handover here.