Next December 5 in Washington, the eyes of the football world will be glued to the balls in the draw, but FIFA has decided not to leave the spectacle to sporting chance alone. To orchestrate this crucial ceremony, the governing body recalled a sure value of the house: Melanie Winiger.
A Swiss woman to enhance the 2026 World Cup draw
Far from being a facade choice dictated by the social media algorithm, the nomination of the former Miss Switzerland (1996) is a matter of Swiss pragmatism. Winiger is not just a simple mistress of ceremonies; he is a polyglot stage “beast”, capable of juggling between English, German, Italian and French without the slightest aid of translation. Regulars at FIFA events know her well: she had already shone during the 2011 Congress and, above all, during the draw for the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. Actress recognized beyond Sarine (notably for her cult role in Achtung, Fertig, Charlie!), it embodies the off-road ease that Gianni Infantino loves so much.
But beyond her impeccable CV and her ease in managing live, a challenge of another kind awaits the Swiss: the choice of outfit. Because if the Western public expects glamor, other broadcasters watch over it with a scrupulous puritanism.
Winiger under diplomatic surveillance
We all remember the “scandal” of 2014. At the time, Iranian state television simply censored the broadcast of the Brazilian draw. The reason? The cleavage of presenter Fernanda Lima, deemed “inappropriate” and too distracting for Persian viewers (a criticism that Heidi Klum had already suffered in 2006). To avoid depriving Tehran of the first images of its adversaries, Mélanie Winiger and her stylists will therefore have every interest in playing the card of diplomatic sobriety.
Between the geopolitics of textiles and the composition of death groups, the Washington ceremony promises to be electric. It remains to be hoped that, for once, the spectacle on stage will not steal the show from the sporting issues.
