The 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw just took place, and it was such a blast with top performances. Village People, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Lauryn Hill and Andrea Bocelli are the artists that brought the heat on December 5, 2025.
The football event was celebrated last Friday at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D. C. during this special ceremony, attendees were able to experience different sensations due to the combination of music, spectacle, celebrities, politics and sports.
Moreover, millions of people could follow the event live on FIFAS’s own website and FIFA’s YouTube channel. Furthermore, while U. S. residents watched it on Fox and Fubo, people in the United Kingdom streamed it on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Canadians where able to see the ceremony as it was broadcasted on SBS and SBS On Demand.
On the other hand, the football draw event was conducted by the best ensemble of celebrities. Supermodel and international presenter Heidi Klum, actor and comedian Kevin Hart and actor Danny Ramímez were responsible for directing the act.
The Musical Spectacles
The Italian musician opened the ceremony with a grandiose performance of Nessun Dorma. Furthermore, the orchestra that accompanied him created an unforgettable moment. After the aria, FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino came onstage and marked the beginning of the journey.
Then, Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger interpreted the official 2026 FIFA World Cup song called Desire. In addition, it was presented as the tournament’s anthem, which will also be tuned during the whole football season.
Lauryn Hill continued the show interpreting one of her all-time hits Doo Wop (That Thing), alongside with her band. In addition, and as a surprise, Hill’s sons Zion David Marley and Joshua Omaru “YG” also accompanied her.
Village People were the ones that closed the sports party with their iconic track Y.M.C.A. according to several inside sources, everyone at the John F. Kennedy Center danced along to the 1978 hit. With this last performance, the ceremony was concluded and it all seemed perfect.
Fans Reactions
However, a hate storm was directed straight at Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger after their performance of the new FIFA World Cup anthem Desire. The sports journal Marca wrote an article saying that “soccer enthusiasts watching the performance both in person and at home voiced their disapproval, with many taking to social media to express their confusion and disappointment over the song choice.”
Moreover, Marca searched some of these hateful comments on social media: “One fan on X questioned, ‘What do Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams even have in common apart from being singers to make this trash song?’ Another fan chimed in, ‘Wtf is this song I’m hearing by Robbie Williams & Nicole Scherzinger? The corniest World Cup song I’ve prob ever heard, feels like it was written by ChatGPT lol.’ Criticism like this echoed across social platforms, with fans lamenting the lack of connection between the artists and the song’s failure to capture the spirit of the World Cup.”
