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Thomas Tuchel, Steve Clarke critical of 'long' 2026 World Cup draw ceremony

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Thomas Tuchel not thinking about squad selection after draw (1:03)

England head coach Thomas Tuchel says his side's draw for the group stages of the World Cup will not impact squad selection. (1:03)

England manager Thomas Tuchel and Scotland's Steve Clarke were both critical after a lengthy, star-studded World Cup draw ceremony in Washington D.C. on Friday.

The biggest World Cup draw ever staged turned into a two-and-a-half-hour spectacle, featuring performances from Robbie Williams, a FIFA Peace Prize presentation to U.S. President Donald Trump, and ball-drawing duties handled by sporting greats including Tom Brady and Shaquille O'Neal.

"I do not like it," Tuchel told BBC Sport afterwards. "We could have done it without all of this.

"I don't need it. But, of course, it's a huge stage, and it's big entertainment.

"I was very well aware that it's not about the deep insight of football today. It was about the presentation, it was about the entertainment."

Scotland boss Clarke, attending his first World Cup draw like Tuchel, shared the view that the ceremony dragged on far longer than necessary.

"It took a long time to get to the draw," he told talkSPORT.

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"Coming here you get the glitz and the glamour of the draw. Personally I thought it went on a hell of a lot longer than it should have done but we were only here for the draw."

England were placed in Group L with Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Scotland face one of the tougher assignments, landing Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in Group C.

The 48-team tournament will be held next summer across the United States, Canada and Mexico.