The 2026 FIFA World Cup final squad lists are set, launching the tournament’s largest and most globally representative edition to date.
FIFA reports 1,248 players from 48 national teams will compete in 104 matches in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, starting in nine days. This expanded field—now the largest ever—reflects FIFA’s goal to broaden the competition’s reach.
“The confirmed squad lists embody what makes the tournament truly unique — a celebration of excellence, diversity, and global unity through football,” FIFA stated in the communiqué accompanying the publication of the lists on Monday, June 1.
FIFA’s published squad data highlights both returning veterans and a generational influx of new players on football’s main stage.
Of the 1,248 participants, 357 have prior World Cup experience and 891 are first-timers, according to FIFA. The federation calls this mix evidence of “continuity and renewal in the global game.”
Among the returning veterans are 22 players who have previously won the World Cup, FIFA confirmed.
The age range in the 48 squads is notable: over 25 years separate the oldest and youngest players, FIFA reports.
Scotland’s Craig Gordon is the oldest at 43 years, 162 days; Mexico’s Gilberto Mora is the youngest at 17 years, 240 days, FIFA confirms.
A total of 22 players under 20 and 7 players aged 40 or older could feature in the competition, the federation reported.
Three of football’s most recognizable figures are positioned to make tournament history. According to FIFA, Lionel Messi of Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, and Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico are each set to participate in a sixth FIFA World Cup — an unprecedented milestone in the competition’s history.
FIFA’s communiqué identifies the trio alongside a new generation of players whose tournament debuts will define the next era of the global game. Among those highlighted by the federation: France’s Warren Zaïre-Emery, New Zealand’s Finn Surman, Morocco’s Bilal El Khannouss, and Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov, who will represent Uzbekistan in its first-ever World Cup appearance.
Four New Nations on the World Stage
The expanded 48-team format has produced what FIFA describes as one of the most geographically representative tournaments to date.
Four nations will make their FIFA World Cup debut in 2026, according to the federation: Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.
FIFA says the expanded format makes the competition more globally representative, calling the debuts a milestone.
For Cabo Verde, Curaçao, and several other nations, the tournament represents a significant step in their footballing development. According to FIFA, Cabo Verde, Congo DR, Côte d’Ivoire, Curaçao, Senegal, and Uruguay have selected squads composed entirely of players based in overseas leagues — a profile reflecting the diaspora-driven nature of football talent in many of these federations.
Meanwhile, FIFA contrasts this with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, whose squads mainly feature domestically based players—25 of 26 squad members from their own leagues.
The global scope of modern football is reflected in the club affiliations of the 1,248 confirmed players. According to FIFA, the squads draw from 449 different clubs across 71 countries, distributed as follows: 14 from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), six from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), seven from CONCACAF, eight from CONMEBOL, one from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and 35 from UEFA.
This distribution shows that player development now spans every confederation, with talent increasingly nurtured by clubs worldwide rather than just traditional leagues.
A Coach Making His Own History
According to FIFA, Ghana’s Portuguese coach, Carlos Queiroz, will lead his fifth straight World Cup, having previously managed Portugal in 2010 and Iran in 2014, 2018, and 2022.
The federation noted that Queiroz becomes only the second coach in tournament history to appear at five straight World Cups, joining Bora Milutinović, who managed teams at five consecutive tournaments from 1986 to 2002.
Under the rules governing the 2026 tournament, squad changes will be tightly restricted going forward. According to the **Regulations for the FIFA World Cup 26** cited in the federation’s communiqué, replacements to the confirmed squad lists are permitted only in the case of serious injury or illness, and only up to 24 hours before the kickoff of a team’s first match. Any deviation from this standard requires explicit FIFA approval.
The full squad lists submitted by all 48 participating member associations on Monday, June 1, have been published on FIFA.com.
With nine days before the opening match, focus shifts to competitive readiness. National federations are finalizing preparations for camps and friendlies, while FIFA gears up to stage the largest World Cup ever across three countries and many venues.
For the 891 players preparing for their first FIFA World Cup, for the four debutant nations stepping onto football’s largest stage, and for Messi, Ronaldo, and Ochoa preparing for their unprecedented sixth tournament, the next nine days mark the final stretch before what FIFA has described as a “watershed moment for the global game.”
Note to Readers: This article was originally written and published in English. Versions in other languages are translations generated by artificial intelligence tools. While CTN strives for accuracy across all language editions, only the original English version should be considered authoritative. Caribbean Television Network assumes editorial responsibility solely for the original English text and is not liable for translation errors, omissions, or misinterpretations that may appear in non-English versions.
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