This World Cup Draw Will Be Unlike One That We Have Ever Seen

WASHINGTON, D.C. – It’s time to play Sports Jeopardy!

Alex, I’ll take Sports Superstars for $2,000.

The answer is:

Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O’Neal.

Ah, that’s easy. Who are legends in their own fields?

Uh, sorry, Michael. You are incorrect.

The correct answer is: Who are four American sports legends that will participate in Friday’s draw for the 2026 World Cup.

Most of what you have just read was fantasy, but the last sentence was.

Yes, those five gentlemen will partake in the draw at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Dec. 5.

The lone soccer person

Except for former England international and Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand, there will no other former soccer/football players or coaches influencing the draw.

Just in case you need a quick education about those five men, here is a quick rundown:

Brady won seven Super Bowl rings while quarterbacking the New England Patriots.

Gretzky was, well, great when filling the net and setting up teammates in record fashion back in the day for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League.

Judge, who is in his prime as a baseball player, already is considered a Yankee legend up there with Babe Ruth and company, with three American League MVP honors already.

And O’Neal secured four NBA titles while starring for the Los Angeles and Miami Heat during a decorated 19-year career.

What a head scratcher

Oh, and former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who won two Super Bowls, will work the red carpet.

That is a head scratcher in what should be one of the most unreal and surreal World Cup draws ever.

While the aforementioned stars are American sports icons, FIFA could have had more of a soccer, err, football flavor by including at least one other retired star and someone of the USA soccer universe.

There are a host of retired and legendary soccer stars in the U.S. alone that could have been selected, including, but not limited to the likes of Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers and Abby Wambach on the women’s side, and Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Tony Meola, John Harkes and Tab Ramos for the men, among many others.

Remember, the draw won’t be televised just in the USA, but throughout the planet. Sports fans in both hemispheres might be better acquainted with soccer players.

Ferdinand will conduct the event along with co-host, international broadcaster Samantha Johnson.

The first FIFA Peace Prize goes to …

As for the draw itself, there has been plenty of political intrigue involved since President Donald Trump will be involved as well, even as he has been involved with a series of controversies, including the recent Peter Hegseth headaches, his harsh and racist attacks statements about Somalian immigrants and the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein files saga.

It is not known how much time Trump will have on the stage during the draw, which is expected to last two hours with the official ceremony and entertainment.

Many soccer observers are convinced that FIFA president Gianni Infantino, a frequent visitor to the White House in the past year in trying to curry favor with the U.S. president, will award Trump the first FIFA Peace Prize.

Trump has bemoaned the fact that he hasn’t been selected to win the object of his desire, the actual Nobel Peace Prize.

Infantino’s strategy apparently is to placate the U.S. president with the honor because he knows how important it is for FIFA to extract has much money as possible from his multi-billon-dollar baby.

The FIFA boss doesn’t need any hiccups – major or minor – in the months leading up to the World Cup.

Is Infantino placating Trump?

So, why not placate Trump with the award, even though Trump doesn’t have much of a history with the beautiful game?

If Trump is indeed the winner, there likely will be plenty of criticism leveled at Infantino for his selection, given there are at least a dozen worth organizations within the sport’s sphere have toiled to deserve such recognition.

With all this going on, this writer wonders if there is another surprise or two lurking at the Kennedy Center on Friday we don’t know about.

Michael Lewis, who has been selected by the United Soccer Coaches as the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award, who will be honored at the organization’s convention in January. He can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @soccerwriter.