Rio Ferdinand and Samantha Johnson will lead the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony
The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has unveiled the key personalities who will spearhead proceedings at the 2026 World Cup draw, to be hosted in the United States on December 5, 2025.
The lineup is led by former England defender, Rio Ferdinand, who will serve as the main conductor of the draw alongside award-winning broadcaster Samantha Johnson.
“To conduct this historic draw is an unbelievable honor. As a player, I lived for these global stages, now I’m humbled to play a different, special role together with an incredible line-up to reveal the 12 groups of four teams that the whole world is waiting for,” Ferdinand said in a press release after the announcement.
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In addition to these stars, FIFA has made an unprecedented move to include personalities from multiple sporting disciplines to bring diversity and excitement to the occasion.
These include seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, NHL all-time leading scorer Wayne Gretzky, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Peyton Manning will serve as the official red-carpet host for pre-draw programming, adding even more star power to the buildup.
All eyes will be on the US as coaches and team officials converge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. for the draw of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The event will unveil the groups for the tournament, which has been expanded to 48 teams and will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The ceremony will see teams grouped from A to L, forming 12 groups.
Nations will learn their opponents, except those yet to qualify through the continental play-offs in March 2026.
The qualified countries have been placed in Pots 1 to 4 according to their FIFA rankings and will not face opponents from the same pot.
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