Wayne Gretzky on Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Brady and Aaron Judge after sharing the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw stage with them

Wayne Gretzky offered a rare public glimpse of his experience on one of the world’s biggest sports stages when he posted to Instagram on Saturday after joining fellow American sports icon Shaquille O’Neal. Tom Brady and Aaron Judge in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals Draw.

Gretzky, who was among FIFA’s celebrity draw attendees at the ceremony in Washington, DC, shared a photo of the four together on stage with the caption:

“Three of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Great day, thanks FIFA @fifaworldcup.”

The click saw the NHL legend appear alongside NBA Hall of Famer O’Neal, seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady and New York Yankees star judge All four helped host Rio Ferdinand select teams from the draw pots for the expanded 48-team tournament.

Gretzky’s post comes two days after the high-profile ceremony at the Kennedy Center where FIFA hosted celebrity appearances and global soccer competitions ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

O’Neal, Brady and Judge drew group stage sections, while Gretzky managed the Pot 4 selections. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11, bringing the tournament back to American soil for the first time since 1994.

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Wayne Gretzky struggled to pronounce the names of the countries during the draw

Wayne GretzkyThursday’s cameo at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw also took an unwanted turn as the hockey legend repeatedly struggled with the pronunciation of various Pot 4 nations.

When Gretzky was tasked with announcing the teams drawn from the final pot, his first mistake came immediately with North Macedonia, who mispronounced while standing on stage with a Canadian pin and positioned himself in front of US President Donald Trump.

“Wayne Gretzky Can’tada Say Those Country Names!!🤘🤣,” read the caption of a clip posted by a user on X.

The difficulties continued as Gretzky drew Curaçao, making it “Curocko” before tripping over Jordan again, adding extra syllables to one of the simpler names of the night. The series of errors quickly attracted the attention of viewers and media after the live broadcast.

Gretzky completed his part of the draw without further ado, but his mispronunciations became one of the most talked about moments of the ceremony on social media.