Staged just a mile from the White House, Friday's World Cup draw will have a distinctly political feel. The glittering ceremony will take place at the Kennedy Center, the famous Washington arts venue now chaired by US President Donald Trump after he overhauled its board this year. Proceedings, however, seem to have been planned with the US president very much in mind.
Seventies group Village People have been booked to play YMCA, a Trump favourite that is regularly heard at his campaign rallies. And, in a break with tradition, the draw ceremony will feature the awarding of a new Fifa Peace Prize, with Trump widely expected to be the recipient. Asked about the new award amid reports that the Fifa Council was not consulted about it, one senior official at the governing body told BBC Sport: "Why can't this be bigger than the Nobel Peace Prize? Football has huge global support, so it's right that it recognises extraordinary efforts to bring about peace every year."
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