The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature a record 48 national teams competing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, marking the first tournament jointly hosted by three countries [1, 2]. A total of 1,248 players from all 48 squads have been confirmed, setting a new World Cup record [1, 2].
Among the players, 891 will be making their World Cup debut, while 357 have previous World Cup experience [2]. The oldest player is Scotland's Craig Gordon, aged 43 years and 162 days, while Mexico's Gilberto Mora is the youngest at 17 years and 240 days. Seven players aged 40 or older and 22 players under 20 will take part in the tournament [3, 4, 2].
Lionel Messi of Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, and Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa are all preparing for their record sixth World Cup appearance [3, 4, 2]. Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz will make his fifth consecutive World Cup appearance as a head coach, joining Bora Milutinovic in that achievement [2].
Manchester City leads all clubs with 19 players representing 12 nations at the tournament. England’s Premier League clubs have the highest league representation, contributing more than 16% of all players [5, 3, 4].
The oldest national squads on average are Panama, Iran, and Colombia, each with average ages above 30 [5]. New debutant teams including Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan will appear for the first time at a World Cup [6, 2].
FIFA announced new protocols for the 2026 tournament. All 26 players on each squad must stand together during national anthems before matches. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, "Having all players and referees face each other in the centre circle during the national anthems will create a moment of unity, pride and emotion that truly belongs to the teams and to everyone" [7]. Additional innovations include VAR checks for corners and second yellow cards, timed goal kicks and throw-ins, three-minute drinks breaks, and Super Bowl–style halftime shows for the final [7].
FIFA confirmed the full list of players on June 3. The tournament will officially begin June 11 with opening matches in Mexico City [1, 7, 2]. Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera will celebrate his 40th birthday on June 15, the day after Uruguay’s opening match against Saudi Arabia [3, 4].
