FIFA Announces Entertainers, Hosts and Draw Assistants for the World Cup

Big names in Music, Entertainment, and former and current professional athletes help FIFA

Zurich, Switzerland- The FIFA World Cup Draw will be held at the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., as the world will be viewing the 48 balls being pulled out of 12 pots for the nations and playoff winners, with 33 balls in another 12 pots to determine which countries will battle against which groups they will be placed in at the World Cup Draw.

The list of entertainers, musicians, and former professional athletes has been selected to entertain the audience at the Kennedy Center, and those watching live from around the world on television and on web-enabled devices will witness the magic as we will find out how the new 48 team field will fill all positions for this upcoming summer’s World Cup.

Hosts selected for the show

Leading the entire show as co-hosts are former Supermodel and judge on America’s Got Talent, Heidi Klum, and comedian Kevin Hart. They will be joined by Actor and Producer Danny Ramirez, as he will be engaging with the many footballers of the past and today while working the crowd at the Kennedy Center.

For Klum, this will be her second time as a host for the World Cup Draw, as she performed the same position when Germany hosted the World Cup back in the 2006 tournament. “To be hosting the final draw again, after having been involved in this show 20 years ago in my home country, is truly extraordinary. The World Cup brings the world together like nothing else, and being part of that magic again, on an even bigger stage involving three host countries and 48 teams, is an incredible honour.”

Musical performances

This show will have special performances from Musicians and bands. Opera singer, Maestro Andrea Bocelli, is an accomplished, globally celebrated Italian tenor who has sold over 90 million records since rising to fame from winning the newcomers competition at the Sanremo Music Festival 1994. Renowned for his interpretations of major operatic works under legendary conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa, and Zubin Mehta.

He has earned six Grammy and six Latin Grammy nominations and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has also performed for multiple world leaders and popes, and let’s also not forget that he sang at the final match of the Leicester City 2015-16 season when they won the Premier League at the King Power Stadium, as he is friends with then manager Claudio Ranieri.

Robbie Williams is one of the most successful recording artists in the world and is also a FIFA music ambassador. He has sold over 90 million albums, he has won 18 BRIT awards, and has as many UK number-one albums as the Beatles. His four-part Netflix documentary series became a global hit in 2023, reaching number one in 22 countries. Earlier this year, Williams announced his new album, Brit Pop, would be released on February 6th, 2026.

Nicole Scherzinger is an American singer and began her career with the Pussycat Dolls, with chartbusters like Don’t’cha & Buttons. She has also performed successfully as a solo artist with multiple songs, like Heartbeat. She is currently performing on Broadway and won a Tony Award for Sunset Blvd. She has voiced the character Sina in Disney’s movie Moana and Moana 2. She has also been a judge on the U.K.’s X-Factor Show with Simon Cowell.

Last but not least, the band that has made a big return from the 70s and the 80s is the Village People. Well known for their songs heard around the world at sporting events, dance clubs, and several movies. They will be performing their worldwide hit Y.M.C.A. They continue to perform globally after that song remained relevant for a long time.

Draw Assistants

When the music and the acts are finished, then we get down to business. The Draw will take place, and that means former professional athletes will step up to the multiple pots that will have balls drawn for which group and how they will be placed.

Conducting the Draw is the former England National Team Centerback and a former member of Manchester United, Rio Ferdinand. He will be joined by award winning broadcaster and Co-Conductor Samantha Johnson at the podium.

The current and former professional athletes who will be pulling the ball out of the pots will be the six-time Super Bowl Champion Quarterback of the NFL, Tom Brady, the former four-time Stanley Cup Champion in the National Hockey League, and Canadian icon Wayne Gretzky, the former four-time NBA Champion and Center, Shaquille O’Neal, and the current Right Fielder and Captain of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball Aaron Judge.

The stars will be at our nation’s capital to make this the most exciting World Cup Draw we have ever seen. The excitement will begin at Noon Eastern, 9 AM Pacific.

FIFA World Cup News:

• FIFA Announces their Procedures and Four Pots for the 2026 World Cup Draw
• FIFA Announces the Dates for Intercontinental Playoffs
• The Good and the Bad for Scoreless Draws in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying

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