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New Delhi: The 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C, on Friday, November 5. The draw is scheduled to begin at 10 PM (IST). Many American sports persons and entertainment celebrities will attend the first-ever 48-team World Cup draw.
The expanded tournament will include 16 more countries than the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The matches will be played across 16 venues, with 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.
Donald Trump shares a close relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and the US President set to be honoured with the FIFA Peace Prize during the ceremony. According to the FIFA President Infantino, the award is "to recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will be hosted by comedian Kevin Hart and supermodel Heidi Klum. It will feature the performances by Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger. Rio Ferdinand, an ex-Manchester United defender and a member of three England World Cup squads, will conduct the draw along with Samantha Johnson.
NFL great Tom Brady, hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, and New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge will assist them. The red carpet of the draw will be hosted by Eli Manning.
Argentina player Lionel Messi told ESPN there is a chance that he might not participate in the 2026 World Cup, but he said he still has a desire to play.
"I hope I can be there. I've said before that I'd love to be there," Messi said, adding: "At worst, I'll be there watching it live, but it will be special. The World Cup is special for everyone, for any country -- especially for us, because we live it in a completely different way," Messi told ESPN.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to begin on June 11.
