Former England defender Rio Ferdinand has shared his first full reaction to the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, held last Friday in USA, where he was part of the star-studded draw team. Speaking via his official Rio Ferdinand Presents X handle, the Manchester United legend gave fans an inside look at what it felt like to be on stage alongside global icons while also offering his early analysis of England’s group.
Ferdinand admitted that despite playing in front of some of the biggest crowds in world football, being involved in the live World Cup draw brought a different kind of pressure, one he couldn’t control the same way he did as a player.
According to Rio Ferdinard presents official X handle video, Ferdinand said:
Well guys, there it is. It’s finished. We’re still in the building here. This is where the FIFA 2026 World Cup draw was held. I was on here. We stayed on the stage with Big Shaq, Kevin Hart, Heidi Klum, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, and all the other guys that were on there, man… It was a great evening to be here. I’ve played football in front of some hefty, healthy crowds but I’ve never been this nervous for anything because when I’m playing football it’s a bit of a controllable nervousness.
After the event, Ferdinand finally took a moment to digest the groups properly, and one in particular grabbed his attention for all the right reasons.
He continued:
So being a part of that was great. But man, listen, this is the first time I’m actually digesting the groups properly since I’ve been on the show. And yeah, Mexico’s first game I think being South Africa is a good one… You know what group I love immediately? Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. The fan bases in that group are nuts. I think it’s going to be a really good group. I think there could be some upsets in that group.
But when it came to England’s group, Ferdinand didn’t hide his disappointment. He said:
I weren’t happy with England’s group, you know. You want a group where you go, ‘Listen, we can just sneak through there, not too many hard games. But we’ve got Croatia — Modric-inspired Croatia — Ghana, and Panama. Panama I think we should win against, but Ghana and Croatia will make it difficult. They’ll be tough games. I still back us to win the group, but I would like to have seen an easier runway.
Watch the full breakdown of World cup draw by Rio Ferdinard:
Ferdinand, an England icon himself, will be hoping his country, who qualified for the 2026 World Cup in record-breaking fashion, winning every game and conceding zero goals can carry that momentum into the tournament despite facing a tricky set of opponents in Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.
His comments come at a time when national team optimism is high, but expectations remain sky-high following England’s flawless qualifying campaign.
Meanwhile, Softfootball earlier reported that Ferdinand recently defended Bruno Fernandes, insisting the Portuguese star remains United’s irreplaceable captain despite criticism surrounding the club’s form.
With the draw now complete and the countdown to 2026 officially underway, Ferdinand’s early analysis sets the tone for what promises to be one of the most competitive and unpredictable World Cup tournaments in history.
From nerves on stage to strong opinions off it, Rio Ferdinand’s voice remains as influential as ever as the football world prepares for North America 2026.
