Hallgrímsson to be on hand as FIFA's Trump-tainted draw kicks off Greatest Show on Earth
MADE FOR EACH OTHER: President Donald Trump holds the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy as FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, and Vice President JD Vance watch, during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
If there was any doubt about the politicisation of the next World Cup, just listen to the Village People veterans belting out YMCA at the conclusion of Friday’s tournament draw.
Donald Trump’s signature tune, usually triggering his dastardly Dad dancing routine, is overt as it comes to Fifa’s honcho Gianni Infantino genuflecting at the feet of the US President.
If that wasn’t a crass enough crossover into political terrain, there’s a newly established “Peace Prize – Football Unites the World” award during the ceremony. How apt the Washington venue is John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Theatrics will be played out before a global audience when Trump expresses surprise at being feted as the inaugural winner, in recognition of his Middle East ceasefire accord.
Galling enough that one of the President’s recent guests at the Oval Office, Cristiano Ronaldo, had his standard violent conduct red card ban from the Ireland defeat ‘suspended’ but the revelations about dynamic pricing since have overloaded the entire jamboree with cynicism.
Ireland are active participants in the production that’s a precursor to what’s billed the Greatest Show on Earth next summer.
While there’s 48 places available at the expanded showpiece, 62 nations are part of the draw. Ireland are one of 16 European teams seeking four golden tickets by the end of March’s playoffs. Six will dissolve into two by the end of Fifa’s confederation playoffs next Spring.
Unless Ireland can continue their purple patch by winning away to Czechia on March 26, followed by a home victory over either Denmark or North Macedonia three days later, their involvement will be purely cosmetic. Such is the way of modern football, whereby friendlies have been replaced by extra competitive matches in the form of playoffs.
Heimir Hallgrímsson will watch a long drawn-out ceremony unfold before his eyes but he’s been here before, leading his native Iceland to, and managing at, the 2018 World Cup. He’ll scour the options and visualise potential pools which are difficult to navigate or others with scope to progress.
From the group of second seeds, Austria would suffice for the latter category but it must be remembered that no more than two European teams can be pooled together.
Only four of the third-placed teams across the 12 groups will be heading home after the initial pool phase. Matches therefore spike from 64 to 104 in totality, spanning five weeks from June 11 to July 19. They won’t be mapped out in schedule until Saturday as part of a prolonged exercise that leaves the FAI’s week-long AGM roadshow in the shade for excess.
Variance of time zooms explains the delay, time required to decide which matches are best placed in prime-time slots for a European audience. Co-hosts USA, Canada and Mexico already know their host cities, a helpful headstart for fans if they end up in those groups.
Procedurally, Ireland must wait last as the sequence of draws cascades from pot one to pot four.
Ditto for Pico Lopes and his Cape Verde heroes. They share the fourth pot with Ireland following a first-ever qualification from Africa, so clearly cannot be drawn together in the earliest stage.
The Shamrock Rovers captain will watch the draw live in Dublin after attending the annual SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland awards, at which he’s among the nominees for the marquee award.
Nothing will compare this weekend to the glitz and glam of the Trump/Infantino love-on, cringey to those watching from afar with a conscience.
Draw co-hosts Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart, dubbed global icons, won’t mind, nor actor and producer Danny Ramirez, who apparently brings Hollywood flair.
Accompanying Village People on the musical roster are Andrea Bocelli award-winning ‘multi-hyphenate’ Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams.
The last of those singers is renowned for his footballing interest but his song ‘Let me entertain you’ is more fitting with this stage than the game itself.
Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European playoff A (Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia), B (Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania), C (Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo) and D (Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia/Czechia), Fifa playoff tournament 1, Fifa playoff tournament 2.
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