Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The 2026 World Cup draw Friday will determine Argentina's path to a potential repeat title and challenges ahead for the hosting Americans.
Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal, Aaron Judge and Wayne Gretzky will be among the celebrity athletes taking part in the event, which will air at noon EST on Fox and be held in Washington, D.C.
Former England soccer star Rio Ferdinand will conduct the draw for the first-ever 48-team World Cup, up from the 32-team fields from 1998 through 2022.
"To conduct this historic draw is an unbelievable honor," Ferdinand said in a news release. "As a player, I lived for these global stages -- now I'm humbled to play a different, special role together with an incredible line-up to reveal the 12 groups of four teams that the whole world is waiting for."
Broadcaster Samantha Johnson, New York Giants legend Eli Manning, model Heidi Klum, comedian Kevin Hart and the Village People also will be part of the red carpet event at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
