Kevin Hart's World Cup Draw Debut: Laughs, Backlash, and a Viral Moment

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Kevin Hart has spent the past few days at the center of global sports and internet chatter, stepping into a career milestone that also turned into a minor culture-war lightning rod. FIFA and multiple sports outlets report that Hart co hosted the 2026 World Cup Final Draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. alongside supermodel Heidi Klum, putting the comedian on one of the most watched international sports stages of his career. FIFA’s own announcement framed him as a global entertainment figure trusted to set the tone for the expanded 48 team tournament, a sign that world governing bodies now see Hart as a safe, bankable face for prestige live events, not just standup and movies.

On stage, according to the Times of India and the New York Post, Hart opened with a scripted bit leaning into the football versus soccer divide, joking that he knows his Lionel Messi from his Michael Jordan, his Cristiano Ronaldo from his Stephen Curry, and his Jude Bellingham from his Tom Brady. The routine drew laughs in the room and produced viral clips, with NBA names in World Cup banter playing directly into Hart’s image as the hyperconnected, courtside sports superfan.

But the global audience was far less forgiving. The Toronto Sun and Daily Mail based reports describe the monologue as awkward and cringeworthy to many football traditionalists, who flooded X and other platforms with complaints that Americans were embarrassing themselves and demanding FIFA “get Kevin Hart off my screen.” Benefit News and other aggregators note that this backlash became a secondary storyline to the draw itself, amplifying Hart’s appearance into a talking point about U.S. sports culture and FIFA’s entertainment choices.

One brief on camera exchange added fuel: video shared by multiple outlets shows FIFA president Gianni Infantino embracing Klum first as Hart extends a hand, brushing him off with a “ladies first” line before finally hugging him. Some tabloids describe it as a snub; there is no confirmation from FIFA or Hart that it was anything more than a light bit, so any suggestion of real tension remains speculative.

Ticketing sites continue to promote Hart’s 2025 2026 tour dates, but no major new film or business deals have surfaced in the same time frame. The lasting biographical note from this week is clear: Kevin Hart just became part of World Cup history, and he did it in a way that perfectly matches his brand high profile, high energy, and never entirely controversy free.

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