More than 1,200 players are on their way to the World Cup – The Athletic runs through some of the outliers and curiosities
Cristiano Ronaldo and Giberto Mora are set to be the oldest and youngest outfielders to appear at the 2026 World Cup Getty Images
Premier League's 154 Players Lead Club Representation
From New Zealand to Norway, the 2026 World Cup will be the tournament’s most global gathering yet, with a record 48 countries competing. And now, after the final few squad announcements have trickled in over the last few days, we know the cast of 1,248 players that have been called up and are ready to bring it all to life (with the proviso that injured players can be replaced up to 24 before kick-off in the team’s first match of the tournament…).
With young teenagers and grizzled veterans sharing the pitch with the game’s icons, it’s a list that has something for everyone.
So allow The Athletic to break down the make-up of each of these squads and provide some curious squad tidbits to fuel your excitement before the games begin.
The tournament’s reach extends even further when looking at where the players play their club football, with 449 teams represented across 71 countries. Among these, it is the game’s most established sides that are providing the largest contingents.
Premier League side Manchester City lead the way, with 19 players selected across 12 countries. The top five teams represented are widely considered the cream of club football’s crop, including both Champions League finalists: winners Paris Saint-Germain and runners-up Arsenal, who each have 16 players at the tournament.
But there is one conspicuous absentee from the sharp end of the list. Real Madrid, winners of a record 15 European titles, would normally sit comfortably among this illustrious company.
Instead, they are nestled alongside clubs including PSV Eindhoven and Slavia Prague, with 10 players at the tournament.
They trail behind their city rivals Atletico Madrid, Saudi side Al-Hilal, and Crystal Palace — the team that finished 15th in the Premier League last season (and let’s not forget, won a European trophy). Remarkably, not a single Real Madrid player was selected for Spain’s squad.
As the richest league in football and one with a reputation for hoovering up talent from across the globe, the Premier League unsurprisingly leads the way, providing 154 players — 60 more than Germany’s Bundesliga, its nearest challenger.
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Ronaldo at 41, Mora at 17: Age Extremes Across Squads
English football’s club dominance is underlined by the fact that the Championship, its second tier, is the ninth most-represented league.
In total, 200 players come from clubs across the English football pyramid, including New Zealand’s Tommy Smith, who played for sixth-tier Braintree Town last season.
The top five leagues represented are the five European leagues collectively known as… the big five, a moniker that largely reflects their competitive strength. Behind them is the Saudi Pro League, with 47 players, a competition that has invested heavily since the last World Cup to lure top talent to the Middle East.
Yet 25 of those are Saudi Arabians, meaning Saudi Arabia, along with Qatar, has the highest proportion of squad members playing in its domestic league (conversely, eight countries have no squad members playing within their own domestic system).
Panama are the tournament’s wisest heads, with the oldest squad of the 48 nations, boasting an average age of 30 and no player younger than 24. As shown in the scatter plot below, those older players have been regular features in the squad, with Panama also the most experienced side, averaging 57.8 caps.
Reigning champions Argentina are also located in that older, more experienced quadrant, and this tournament feels like a final roll of the dice for Messi and co before head coach Lionel Scaloni starts to blood a new generation of talent.
Scaloni is one of six Argentine managers who will be present in World Cup dugouts, more than any other nationality.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast have the youngest squad on show, with an average age of 25.4. Chief contenders Spain, France and England are also towards the younger end of the spectrum.
England coach Thomas Tuchel has packed his midfield with fresh legs, with 35-year-old Jordan Henderson providing experience. In attack, however, he has leaned on more seasoned options, with no forward under the age of 24 and three strikers in their 30s.
Haaland's 55 Goals in 49 Caps: Norway's Dark Horse Case
At an individual level, 38-year-old Messi is the 11th oldest player at this tournament, while Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon has the chance to become the second-oldest player in World Cup history should he take to the field.
Meanwhile, Messi’s great rival Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to become the second-oldest outfield player in World Cup history, behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla, as he looks to extend his record tally of 226 international caps. Messi (198 caps), alongside Croatian midfield maestro Luka Modric (196) are set to join Ronaldo in the 200-cap club.
While watching these legendary talents remains one of the tournament’s main draws, unearthing the next generation is just as much part of the magic.
At 17, Mexico’s Gilberto Mora is the competition’s freshest face and, with his dazzling footwork, is poised to become a breakout star. Fellow youngster and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal is already one of the game’s most established talents, but several of the prospects below could find themselves the talk of the transfer window if they catch the eye.
Speaking of age, 149 players will celebrate their birthdays during the tournament. Three will be hoping for the ultimate present: Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji, Germany’s Deniz Undav and Ivory Coast’s Jean Michael Seri all blow out their candles on July 19, the day of the final.
Will Haitian forward Frantzdy Pierrot end up with a more glittering career than Ronaldo? But the 31-year-old does arrive at the tournament with a slightly better international strike rate than the game’s all-time international leading scorer, averaging 0.67 goals per cap.
Top of the charts, naturally, is Norway’s fearsome striker Erling Haaland, who has managed a scarcely believable 55 goals in 49 caps. If he can bring that form to the World Cup, then perhaps his nation will live up to the ‘dark horse’ billing plenty are giving them.
What Average Squad Age Reveals About Title Contenders
The biggest ranking signal in a squad story is not the list itself, but what the selection means for the likely starting XI. Readers want to know which roles are settled, which positions are still open, and which absences change the team shape.
For World Cup coverage, the strongest follow-up is a lineup view of the team’s group matches. That connects squad news directly to the decisions managers must make when the tournament starts.