Rio Ferdinand won 81 caps for England
Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand is slated to conduct Friday’s 2026 World Cup draw in Washington D.C.
The 47-year-old will be joined by broadcaster Samantha Johnson and a selection of sporting luminaries, including Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, and Shaquille O’Neal.
The draw, featuring 48 participating nations, is scheduled to take place at the Kennedy Center at 17:00 GMT (12:00 local time).
Ferdinand, whose career also included stints at Leeds, West Ham, and Queens Park Rangers, secured 14 trophies during a distinguished 12-year tenure at Old Trafford before transitioning to broadcasting in 2015 following his retirement.
NFL icon Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, and NHL legend Gretzky, a four-time Stanley Cup victor, are set to assist, along with NBA luminary O’Neal, who claimed four championships throughout his 19-year career, and New York Yankees star and seven-time MLB All-Star, Judge.
American disco ensemble, Village People, are expected to perform their celebrated 1970s anthem ‘YMCA’, which has notably become associated with former president Donald Trump’s campaign rallies.
British music icon Robbie Williams, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli – who performed during Leicester City’s Premier League title celebrations – and former Pussycat Dolls vocalist Nicole Scherzinger are also slated to appear.
The event will be co-hosted by supermodel and Emmy Award recipient Heidi Klum and actor and comedian Kevin Hart, while actor and producer Danny Ramirez is expected to conduct interviews with attendees.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled from June 11 to July 19 and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Friday’s draw will be broadcast live across the BBC via iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app, and on Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
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