"With Franz Beckenbauer cast in the role of glamorous assistant, Sepp Blatter, secretary general of Fifa, revealed the first non-seeded country out of the bowl at the draw for the 1998 World Cup - Scotland. Into Pool A with Brazil they went - and on went the draw. Not much messing about in 1998. Looking at it now, in a time of endless preamble and an on-stage banterfest that would test the patience of a saint, they moved at breakneck speed back then."
"When the latest World Cup draw show begins on Friday at 17:00 GMT, it'll take a little longer. Presidents Trump, as in Donald, and Mulraney, as in Mike of the Scottish FA, will be there along with, among others, Robbie Williams and the Village People. Prepare for grown men doing the YMCA at some point. Prepare to feel nauseous. Prepare, also, for Fifa announcing that the draw has surpassed the previous record television audience of, they say, 2.7bn last time around."
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is scheduled for Friday 5 December at 17:00 GMT at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC with live coverage on BBC television, iPlayer and radio. The event will feature high-profile guests including Donald Trump, Mike Mulraney, Robbie Williams and the Village People, and is expected to be lengthier and more theatrical than previous draws. Groups and fixtures will be revealed during the broadcast, with complete dates, cities and kick-off times released over the following day. Kick-offs will span multiple BST slots: 17:00, 20:00, 23:00 and 02:00, and Fifa anticipates record television audiences.
Read at www.bbc.com
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