TThe group has officially qualified for the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11th to July 19th. The group stage ended on June 27th, and America managed to make it to the group. They will first face Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, followed by Australia at Lumen Field, and finally close out the group stage before returning to SoFi to face the UEFA teams who qualified in the pass ‘C’ play-offs (participating teams include Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo and Romania).
The drawing ceremony was attended by political leaders, including President Donald Trump, who was the first FIFA Peace Prize recipient in history, as well as coaches and national team officials, who then went on stage to accept the award and give a speech. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were also in attendance, and after each country’s name was chosen, they posed for a selfie with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and proceedings officially began.
Shaq and Brady hilariously threaten Kevin Hart
The ceremony itself was hosted by celebrities including former players Rio Ferdinand, Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart. The important task of separating the countries from the four pots was assigned to legends of American sports, including NFL star Tom Brady, NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal, MLB MVP Aaron Judge, and NHL’s all-time great player Wayne Gretzky.
A particularly funny moment occurred at the start of the official draw for the 2026 World Cup. As the event’s host welcomed the players to open their respective bowls, Kevin Hart felt a “horror” from one of the guests. When introduced to historic former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, Hart was immediately struck by the giant’s towering stature. When Shaq purposely approached Hart in an attempt to playfully intimidate him, the comedian comically chose to push O’Neal away in a puff of smoke, much to the crowd’s delight.
Brady said of the honor: “Being part of the final draw for the FIFA World Cup is an incredible honor and a global stage that every athlete dreams of.” He joined in on the fun, and O’Neal also tried to push, highlighting the upbeat atmosphere between the giants of American sports.
The biggest World Cup in history approaches its start
Officially, six more teams need to qualify through the intercontinental and European play-offs to qualify for the biggest World Cup in history, which has expanded from 32 to 48 teams. These final spots will be decided in March, just two months before the inauguration ceremony at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Azteca will become the first stadium in history to host the opening game of the World Cup three times, and Mexico will become the first country to host the tournament three times.
However, Mexico will host 10 games, which is significantly fewer than the United States (60 games). All important final stages of the competition will be held in the United States, culminating in the grand final at New Jersey Stadium, home of the NFL’s Giants and Jets. The venue was previously known as MetLife Stadium, but FIFA sponsorship rules prevent the use of commercial names.
