WASHINGTON (AP) — The plan started coming together inside a luxury box at MetLife Stadium.

As the Premier League's Chelsea was on its way to a shutout victory at the Club World Cup final in July, President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were deep in discussion at the New Jersey sports complex outside New York City on another matter: where the draw for next year's World Cup would be held.

The high-drama spectacle decides which teams will face each other in the group stage of soccer's most prestigious tournament, along with the schedule for competition. It was widely expected to unfold in Las Vegas, home to the 1994 draw when the U.S. last hosted the World Cup and a natural backdrop for glitz. But since at least March, officials had privately discussed bringing

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