Sports icons Brady, Gretzky, Shaq join stars for 2026 World Cup draw

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NFL legend Tom Brady, ice hockey icon, Wayne Gretzky and former NBA superstar, Shaquille O’Neal, will be among the stars helping to conduct Friday’s draw for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA said Wednesday.

Football’s global governing body said in a statement that former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand would lead the draw taking place at Washington’s Kennedy Center.

Ferdinand and broadcaster Samantha Johnson will be backed by a phalanx of stars drawn from across the North American sporting landscape.

All four of North America’s biggest professional sports leagues — the NFL, the NBA, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball will be represented.

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady, four-time Stanley Cup winner Gretzky and four-time NBA champion O’Neal will be joined by New York Yankees baseball star Aaron Judge, with all four serving as draw assistants.

“Being part of the final draw for the FIFA World Cup is an incredible honour – it’s the kind of global stage every athlete dreams of,” Brady said.

Friday’s World Cup draw will determine group allocations for next year’s tournament, which has been expanded to 48 teams and will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

President Donald Trump is expected to feature prominently at the event, with the US leader strongly tipped to receive a new FIFA Peace Prize announced by football supremo Gianni Infantino last month.

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