Record number of over-40 players set for 2026 World Cup

PARIS: The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature an unprecedented number of players aged 40 and above, underlining the staying power of some of football’s oldest international stars.

Eight players aged 40 or older have been picked for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States. That is one more than the total number of players in that age group who appeared across the previous 22 World Cups combined.

The list of past over-40 participants at the finals has included six goalkeepers and former Cameroon forward Roger Milla, who remains the oldest player to score in a World Cup match after finding the net at the age of 42 in the 1994 tournament.

Veteran stars extend their World Cup presence

Milla’s scoring record will stay intact at this edition, but Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Edin Dzeko could still join him among the small group of over-40 outfield players to score at the finals.

Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, aged 43, is the oldest player in the tournament. If he takes the field, he will move into second place on the all-time list of oldest World Cup players, behind Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, who was 45 when he played against Saudi Arabia in Volgograd in 2018. Gordon is expected to serve as backup to first-choice goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

Ronaldo, now 41, is the oldest outfield player at the tournament and is set to play in a record sixth World Cup. He shares that milestone with Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, 40, and Lionel Messi, who turns 39 later this month.

Experience remains central for top teams

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said Ronaldo’s experience would be especially valuable for his side.

“None have lived what he has in the number of decisive games he’s played over his career,” Martinez said. “He also brings experience in decisive moments that nobody else in the squad can match.”

Other players aged over 40 at the tournament include Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, whose country are making their World Cup debut, and Germany’s Manuel Neuer, a winner in 2014. Neuer is hoping to be fit for Germany’s match against Curacao in Houston on Sunday after dealing with a calf problem.

Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera will celebrate his 40th birthday next Tuesday, one day after Uruguay face Saudi Arabia in Miami in their opening Group H fixture.

Messi and Ronaldo have both faced injury concerns in recent months, but neither player’s standing in the game is in doubt. Messi captained Argentina to the title at the last World Cup, while Ronaldo has already achieved the distinction of scoring in each of the five World Cups he has played.