Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon is poised to be the oldest player at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He will be 43 years and 162 days old during the tournament, which kicks off June 14 in North America [1, 2]. Gordon will wear Scotland's No 21 shirt, with Angus Gunn assigned No 1 and Liam Kelly No 12 for the squad [1].
A total of seven players aged 40 or older are expected to feature at the World Cup. Apart from Gordon, they include Cristiano Ronaldo (41) of Portugal; Luka Modric of Croatia; Germany's Manuel Neuer; Edin Dzeko for Bosnia and Herzegovina; Guillermo Ochoa from Mexico; and Vozinha representing Cape Verde [3, 2]. Ronaldo enters his sixth World Cup appearance at age 41 [3, 2].
CBS Sports noted that if Gordon takes the field for Scotland, he will become the second-oldest player to ever play at a World Cup. The only older player was Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, who appeared at 45 years and 161 days. Ronaldo would become the second-oldest outfield player to feature when he plays for Portugal [3].
In addition to Scotland’s matches, United States player Tim Ream may become the oldest USMNT player to appear in a World Cup. Ream, nearly 39, could feature in the June 12 game against Paraguay [3]. Uruguay’s Fernando Muslera will turn 40 on June 15, a day after Uruguay’s opening match against Saudi Arabia [3].
Scotland will play a warm-up friendly against Bolivia on Saturday, June 6, at 21:00 BST, broadcast live on BBC. Scotland’s group stage opening match is set for June 14 at 02:00 local time against Haiti in Boston [1].
