Donald Trump is pulling out all the stops for his the 2026 World Cup draw on Friday.

The world including the England squad will have their eyes on the draw on Friday evening as Thomas Tuchel and Co will learn their opponents for next summer’s festival of football. The World Cup will be hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada.

However, US President Trump’s fingerprints on the tournament can already be felt before the first ball has even been kicked. The Village People are set to perform their smash-hit ‘YMCA’ at the event.

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The tune, a gay anthem once synonymous with nightclubs in the 1970s and darts walk-ons, is now often linked to the American President’s rallies – where he likes to dance along to the song.

Dr A Jamie Saris, an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Maynooth University, spoke to the BBC about the link between the song and Trump’s rallies.

They said: “I don’t think you can separate Trump and his base from nostalgia. They want a do-over.

“That is, they want to relive certain moments that they have in their brains as when America was great; they just don’t want to deal with the contradictions.

“Disco was problematic for a lot of kids at the time, but now the same people who used to be uncomfortable with it are saying, ‘The 1970s were great! My back didn’t hurt!'”

The Village People will be joined by Robbie Williams – who finally broke American thanks to his biopic last winter – and will be co-hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum and comedian Kevin Hart.

Real estate tycoon Trump was famously kissed by his wife Melania and model Klum in photos at a party in New York back in 2008.

But Trump later upset her when he said Klum was “no longer a 10”.

Performances have also been confirmed from Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger.

England and Scotland are among the 48 nations that will discover their opponents for the tournament when the draw starts at 5pm UK time.

It will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC iPlayer as well as FIFA’s official website.

 

President-Elect Donald Trump dances on stage while the Village People perform © Getty Images

Donald Trump’s rallies are often accompanied by The Village People’s hit song © AFP via Getty Images

The Village People © Getty Images

Robbie Williams will also perform at the event © Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Nicole Sherzinger will also perform © WWD via Getty Images