World Cup Draw Ceremony Sparks Complaint Over Lengthy Build-Up

WASHINGTON DC:  The draw for the 2026 World Cup, hosted in Washington DC, finally gave fans a concrete look at the tournament schedule, but the ceremony itself quickly became a major talking point—for its extraordinary length.

Many viewers who tuned into the star-studded show at 17:00 GMT had to wait nearly an hour and a half before the actual draw commenced, leading to widespread commentary on the logistical pacing of the event.

The draw, which kicked off with star performances from Robbie Williams and former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, was punctuated by numerous montages, cutaways, and speeches. U.S. President Donald Trump and FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino both delivered remarks.

The first ‘draw’ segment, which saw co-host leaders—Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney—join President Trump on stage, simply confirmed their pre-assigned placements. That segment began at 17:55 GMT, still yielding no new information for fans.

After yet more filler, the official draw finally began at 18:27 GMT, nearly 90 minutes after the broadcast started. The drawing process itself then took 59 minutes to complete. BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce quipped that the tournament itself might arrive before the ceremony concluded.

The logistical challenge was compounded by the complexity of drawing 48 teams into 12 separate groups—a historical first for the competition. While this expansion has created a record number of slots for nations, some commentators noted that the group stage quality has been slightly diluted due to the necessary spreading of major nations.

Despite the ceremony’s excessive length, the draw did produce football excitement, setting up a potential blockbuster knockout stage meeting between two greats of the game and confirming a high-stakes group clash between Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappé in Group I.

The massive tournament, which is being co-hosted across North America, is now starting to feel “very real” despite the marathon draw process.