Tom Brady, who may be busier in retirement than he was in his playing career, will have the eyes of the sports world on him on Friday.
In addition to broadcasting for FOX and being a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Aces and Birmingham City, an English Championship soccer club, Brady will be part of the World Cup Draw on Friday from Washington.
The former New England Patriots superstar and fellow North American sports icons Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Judge will all assist England soccer legend Rio Ferdinand, who is conducting the draw. Eli Manning will host the red carpet coverage leading up to it.
The event, which is being held on Friday at noon at the Kennedy Center in Washington, will reveal the group-stage pods for the 2026 World Cup.
The quadrennial tournament, which will include 48 teams for the first time, takes place next summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Boston, using Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, is one of the American host cities.
The four-team pods will be revealed on Friday. The pods will be assigned to specific venues on Saturday.
“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 in a FIFA release. “I’m excited to help set the path for a tournament that brings the world together like nothing else.”
The draw will be broadcast live on FOX and on FIFA.com.
Heidi Klum, Kevin Hart and Danny Ramirez will co-host the event while Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and the Village People will perform as part of the broadcast which runs from 11:30-3 p.m.
Tom Brady headlines Friday’s star-studded World Cup draw lineup
