Having a ball: The Irish firm behind Fifa's World Cup draw event in Washington
Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand will conduct the Fifa World Cup draw with broadcaster Samantha Johnson. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA
An Irish event management and experience company will help deliver the World Cup draw in Washington on Friday.
The draw takes place in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC at 5pm Irish time on Friday. Catapult has a creative consultancy contract with Fifa and is working as its creative and production partner through to the end of World Cup 2026 which takes place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand will conduct the draw with broadcaster Samantha Johnson. US sporting icons from outside of football, including NFL legend Tom Brady, basketball's Shaquille O'Neal, and ice hockey's Wayne Gretzky, and baseball all-star Aaron Judge will assist with Friday's World Cup draw.
With 42 teams already qualified, 22 others including Ireland are competing in playoffs for the final six berths. The show will reveal the group-stage matchups for the first-ever 48-team World Cup. Ireland are included in the draw despite not yet qualifying, as they face into the European play-offs to secure a place at the event.
The World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Matches will be played at 16 venues, including three in Mexico and two in Canada.
Founded in Dublin in 1999, Catapult has grown from an event production company into a full-service global experience agency with international clients including Uefa, Amazon, the UN, Mastercard, Diageo, and Universal Music.
Catapult’s global operations are directed from its Dublin headquarters, with further operations in New York, Los Angeles, and London. Managing director Des O’Leary said the agency is “proud to be trusted by Fifa at such an extraordinary moment of the World Cup 2026”.
“What’s most meaningful to us is that our work delivers on the world’s most ambitious stages. From Los Angeles to Washington DC, and across North America, we’re proud to be placing Irish talent and Catapult at the centre of global cultural moments.”
Catapult has a multi-year collaboration with Fifa, and worked on fan experience at stadia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In 2023, it worked on delivery of the World Cup 2026 brand launch in Los Angeles, a global live show broadcast by 26 international networks from the Griffith Observatory, above the Hollywood Hills. The show featured 300 drones used as part of a light show to reveal the 16 host cities.
The draw on Friday will sort the teams into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.
The four US sports legends will serve as assistants at Friday's draw, each assigned one pot and picking the names of teams assigned to a group, from Group A to L.
Mr Brady, who won seven Super Bowls before he retired, is a part owner of the English Championship club Birmingham City.
"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," Mr Brady, who is a part owner of English Championship side Birmingham City, said. "I'm excited to help set the path for a tournament that brings the world together like nothing else."
"Soccer has a unique power to unite people from all over the world and create a positive impact, and I cannot wait to see this happening in North America next year and beyond, when we host the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup," said Mr Gretzky. "I'm thrilled to be part of the draw that will decide the fate of the participating teams -- and stir emotions across the world. This will be an unforgettable moment for me personally."
Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, is the red carpet host for Friday's event.
Additional reporting by Field Level Media/Reuters
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