World Cup 2026: hosts, musicians and band for Friday’s ceremony | OneFootball

The iconic American band Village People, one of the campaign anthems of the current President of the United States, performed at his inauguration and will be the musical act. The hosts for next Friday’s gala at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington have not yet been revealed.

The group The Village People and singers Andrea Bocelli and Robbie Williams will be among the artists headlining the gala for the 2026 World Cup draw, which will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington next Friday.

According to FIFA, the gala will be hosted by model, producer, and television personality Heidi Klum; comedian and actor Kevin Hart; and actor and producer Danny Ramírez.

Once the draw is concluded, The Village People will give the audience an iconic performance of Y.M.C.A., their signature song. The legendary band was behind the campaign anthems of President-elect Donald Trump and also attended the inauguration events of the President of the United States in January of this year.

“Maestro Andrea Bocelli, one of the most acclaimed classical voices in history, will take the stage alongside international superstar Robbie Williams, who will perform accompanied by American singer and renowned multifaceted artist Nicole Scherzinger,” FIFA announced in a public statement.

“It is truly extraordinary to present the final draw again after having done so 20 years ago in my country,” said Klum, who will reappear at this World Cup celebration after having been part of the event for the 2006 edition in Germany. “The World Cup has the unique ability to unite the world, and to be part of that magic again, on an even bigger stage with three host countries and 48 teams, is an indescribable privilege.”

The names of the presenters and assistants responsible for conducting the official draw procedure will be announced soon, according to the organization that governs world football.

Infantino and FIFA Face a New Challenge: Uniting the Governments of the United States and Mexico Through Football

The co-organization of the Football World Cups began in 2002 with South Korea and Japan, then expanded to the Women’s World Cup in 2023 with Australia and New Zealand, and to the upcoming U-20 World Cup in 2027, which will be jointly hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. At the senior level, the next two tournaments will be organized by three or more nations: next year with the United States, Mexico, and Canada; and in 2030 with Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco—six nations and three continents.

This poses a great challenge for FIFA because it has to coordinate with more than one country and also attempt to unify positions and strategies with more than one government, sometimes with differing political leanings and complicated histories.

However, where most see complexity, Gianni Infantino sees an opportunity for football to build bridges where others cannot. Such is, was, and will be the case for the United States and Mexico, which have antagonistic governments—from the Republican Donald Trump on one side to the leftist Claudia Sheinbaum on the other.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.