Rio Ferdinand will conduct a star-studded draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Washington, DC on Friday.

Alongside the Manchester United legend will be Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O’Neal serving as assistants with Al-Jazeera presenter Samantha Johnson serving as co-conductor and Eli Manning as red-carpet host.

Starting at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT, all Canadians can tune into coverage on TSN even without a subscription through 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

The draw, will flesh out the 12 groups set to compete in the expanded 48-team World Cup, will begin at 2 p.m. ET and is expected to take two hours. Immediately after, TSN will break down Canada’s FIFA World Cup path, with the full World Cup draw breakdown show following that.

“To conduct this historic draw is an unbelievable honour,” Ferdinand said in a statement. “As a player, I lived for these global stages – now I’m humbled to play a different, special role together with an incredible line-up to reveal the 12 groups of four teams that the whole world is waiting for.”

A Premier League Hall of Famer, Ferdinand spent 12 seasons at Old Trafford and is widely considered to be one of the best centre-backs in league history. In his time at United, Ferdinand won six Premier League titles, two League Cups and the 2008 Champions League title.

Internationally, Ferdinand was capped 81 times by England and went to three World Cups.

The trio of Gretzky, O’Neal and Brady have combined for 15 championships over their illustrious careers.

“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,” Gretzky said in a statement. “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.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico. The tournament will kick off on June 11 with Canada first seeing action from Toronto’s BMO Field on June 12.