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2026 World Cup Draw: Rio Ferdinand to Conduct Draw Alongside Sporting Greats in Washington
Tom Brady and other North American sports stars assist England soccer legend Rio Ferdinand in revealing the group-stage pods for the first 48-team World Cup.
- On Friday at noon at the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Final Draw will reveal the four-team pods, broadcast live on FOX and FIFA.com.
- The 2026 tournament expanded to 48 teams and runs June 11 to July 19, 2026, with matches at 16 venues including Gillette Stadium, Foxborough in Boston.
- Assisting onstage will be North American sports icons Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Judge, while England legend Rio Ferdinand conducts the draw and Eli Manning hosts red-carpet coverage.
- Pods will be assigned to venues on Saturday, and the top two teams and eight best third-place teams will advance from group-stage matchups in the 48-team World Cup.
- The live broadcast will feature co-hosts Heidi Klum, Kevin Hart and Danny Ramirez and performances by Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and the Village People during the 11:30–3 p.m. show, with 42 teams qualified and 22 others competing for six berths in the coming months.
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32 Articles
32 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources32
Leaning Left7Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution64% Left
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources lean Left
64% Left
L 64%
C 27%
Factuality
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