WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. president danced to Village People, Wayne Gretzky struggled to pronounce the names of Europe and the Caribbean’s weaker soccer nations, and the FIFA president declared his governing body the official provider of happiness to humanity.
And yes, the team divided into groups For next year’s World Cup. After all, that was the explicit purpose of this gathering.
After Friday’s ceremony began, it took about 90 minutes, the length of a regular soccer game, for the drawing to begin in earnest. By then, casual fans who watched out of curiosity knew that FIFA doesn’t really understate itself. At least not in an event like this.
As expected, President Donald Trump overshadowed the proceedings. peace prize From FIFA, it seemed like it was created specifically for him. FIFA president Gianni Infantino called his group “the official provider of happiness to humanity.” That’s certainly one way to describe an organization that has been at the center of numerous corruption allegations over the years.
In addition to President Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who pulled their country into a pre-determined World Cup group before the remaining spots in the 12 four-team groups were filled, many celebrities attended Friday’s celebrations.
Comedian Kevin Hart co-hosted with Heidi Klum. Gretzky, Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal and Aaron Judge helped with the drawing itself. Singers Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, and Lauryn Hill performed.
Is it too much? yes. For example, if an NCAA basketball tournament selection show were treated like this, one can only imagine the fan revolt that would ensue. But there was no denying how many fans were watching, and FIFA was determined to make it a full-fledged entertainment event.
playing cards show
The last time the United States hosted the Men’s World Cup in 1994, then-President Bill Clinton did not even attend the drawing. But Trump is no ordinary politician, and the former real estate mogul and reality TV host ensured he was the de facto star of the event, with ample backing from FIFA.
First, the event was held at the Kennedy Center, a longtime arts institution in Washington, whose leadership was ousted earlier this year and replaced by a Trump supporter. The president jokingly called it the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
The US president was then awarded the first FIFA Peace Prize by soccer’s governing body.
“You definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for what you did for what you earned in your own way,” Infantino told Trump, who wore the award’s gold medal around his neck.
The raffle began and ended with Trump’s favorite music. Opera legend Andrea Bocelli, who is scheduled to perform at the White House on Friday night, opened the raffle with a performance of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma.”
Near the end, organizers brought the Village People on stage to perform “YMCA,” which, like “Nessun Dolma,” is often performed at Trump campaign rallies. Trump rose from his seat at the Kennedy Center and performed his signature dance routine.
quite a production
FIFA tried to liven up the ceremony with comedy, music and star-driven moments. The organization packed more than two hours of events, including interviews with comedians, music stars, sports legends, and commercials featuring popular actors Matthew McConaughey and Salma Hayek.
There were moments when I was dizzy and moments when I felt adrift. But together they demonstrated FIFA’s growing commitment to turning the draw into entertainment.
Williams and Scherzinger enthusiastically sang FIFA’s official hymn, “Desire,” earning a standing ovation. Hill then performed “Lost Ones” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)” with a full band, pausing to acknowledge Bob Marley’s deep connection to the game, before bringing out his grandson YG Marley for a reggae-soul collaboration.
Klum and Hart introduced a rotation of sports legends as part of the extended broadcast. Hart welcomed Gretzky and Judge. Klum then introduced O’Neal, whose 7-foot-1-inch frame provided an immediate visual contrast to Hart, and concluded the sequence with Brady.
extension field
Gretzky stumbled over the pronunciation of North Macedonia and Curacao. Although North Macedonia has not actually participated in the tournament yet, they are two teams whose hopes of qualifying for the World Cup have increased as the number of participating teams in the World Cup has expanded from 32 to 48 teams. This means the number of groups has increased from 8 to 12 teams.
The draw was even more complicated, with six of the 48 teams still unknown. These six players will be participating from the playoffs in March, where they were forced to draw. To use placeholders.
Additionally, FIFA’s policy was to not include teams from the same continental confederation in the same group, with the exception of Europe. For enthusiasts who have studied this process, it wasn’t that difficult to figure out. For beginners, it was probably quite confusing.
nuts and bolts
The expanded field also meant there was little chance of multiple powerhouses being in the same group. However, France will have to contend with star goalscorer Erling Haaland and Norway in Group I. Senegal is also in that group. In 2002, Senegal defeated France, but France lost as they tried to defend the title they had won four years earlier.
Scotland have never made it past the group stage and it won’t be easy this year either. Group C also includes Brazil (Scotland’s draw with Brazil was the fifth time in their last seven appearances) and Morocco, who are 11th in the FIFA rankings.
On the other hand, the United States I’m in group D They will face Australia (the lowest ranked team in Pot 2 of the draw) and Paraguay (the South American team currently ranked lowest in the field). The Americans also avoided the possibility of facing Italy or Denmark from the European playoffs.
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AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. and Associated Press Writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
