Schumacher and Sting for 2006 soccer WC draw

Germany's six-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher and British rock singer Sting will take part in next month's 2006 World Cup qualifying draw.

Brazilian great Pele will join FIFA president Sepp Blatter among the 3,500 spectators at the December 5 event, one of the first major milestones en route to the finals in Germany.

Organising committee officials told a news conference on Tuesday that over 100 countries are taking live TV coverage and several hundred million people are expected to watch the draw. About 700 journalists have registered for the event.

FIFA deputy general secretary Jerôme Champagne will preside over the draw but a host of soccer greats, including triple African Player of the Year Abedi Pele of Ghana, will join Schumacher and Sting in making the draw.

Schumacher will pull the European names from the hat alongside Sting with other celebrity pairings handling each of the remaining continental zones at Frankfurt's Festhalle.

Sting will also help to provide the entertainement along with American a-capella act Naturally Seven.

"Even though the expectations of the organising committee are enormously high we're right on schedule," said organising committee media director Wolfgang Niersbach.

There was one glitch on Tuesday, however, with Niersbach having to fill in for organising committee president Franz Beckenbauer, whose plane could not leave Munich due to fog.