Tom Brady and Shaquille O'neal steal the spotlight at the World Cup draw while stopping Kevin Hart and making him feel uncomfortable

T he groups have officially been set for the FIFA World Cup , scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada . The group stage will conclude on June 27, and the United States has landed in a manageable group, starting at SoFi Stadium against Paraguay , followed by Australia at Lumen Field , and finally closing the group stage back at SoFi against the UEFA team that qualifies via the Path "C" play-off (possible teams include Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo, and Romania ).

The draw ceremony featured coaches and national team figures, alongside political leaders including President Donald Trump , who was honored with FIFA's first-ever peace prize before accepting the award and delivering remarks on stage. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also attended, even taking a selfie with FIFA President Gianni Infantino after their countries' names were drawn, officially kicking off the proceedings.

Shaq and Brady Hilariously Intimidate Kevin Hart

The ceremony itself was hosted by personalities including former player Rio Ferdinand, Heidi Klum, and Kevin Hart . The critical task of drawing the countries from the four pots was assigned to American sports legends: NFL star Tom Brady , NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal , MLB's MVP Aaron Judge , and the NHL's all-time great Wayne Gretzky .

A particularly amusing moment occurred at the start of the official draw for the 2026 World Cup . As the event presenters welcomed the athletes who would be opening the respective balls, Kevin Hart got a "scare" from one of the guests . Upon introducing the historic former basketball player Shaquille O'Neal, Hart was immediately struck by the big man's towering height. When Shaq approached Hart on purpose to playfully intimidate him, the comedian comically opted to push O'Neal away in a cloud of smoke , much to the delight of the crowd.

Brady, who had just delivered a quote about the honor, " Being part of the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup is an incredible honor, it's the kind of global stage every athlete dreams of" . He joined in the fun, trying to push O'Neal as well, highlighting the light-hearted atmosphere among the American sports giants.

The Biggest World Cup Ever Nears Kick-off

Officially, only six more teams need to qualify via the inter-continental and European playoffs to finalize the field for the biggest World Cup in history, which has expanded from 32 to 48 teams . These final spots will be decided in March, just two months before the inauguration at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca . The Azteca will be the first stadium in history to host three World Cup opening matches, and Mexico will be the first country to host the tournament three times .

However, Mexico will host (10) significantly fewer games than the United States (60), as the crucial, final stages of the tournament will all be held in the U.S ., culminating in the Grand Final at New Jersey Stadium, the home of the NFL's Giants and Jets, the venue previously known as MetLife Stadium , which cannot use its commercial name due to FIFA sponsorship rules.