Messi, Ronaldo, and Ochoa make history: records set by the official 2026 World Cup list

The 2026 World Cup, set to be the largest in history with 48 participating nations, has unveiled its official roster of 1,248 players. The tournament, scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, will feature an unprecedented 104 matches. The grand final will be held at the MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey.

This edition marks a historic milestone for football legends Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Guillermo Ochoa, who are poised to participate in their sixth World Cup. For 891 players, this will be their debut in the world's premier international football competition, while 357 players bring prior World Cup experience, according to a FIFA statement.

The tournament also highlights a diverse representation of clubs and nations. Manchester City leads with 19 players, while some national teams, like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are composed almost entirely of players from their domestic leagues. Conversely, nations such as Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Curacao, DR Congo, Senegal, and Uruguay exclusively feature players from foreign leagues.

In terms of age, veteran Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon, at 43 years and 162 days, is the oldest participant. The youngest player is Mexican Gilberto Mora, aged 17 years and 240 days. Among the coaches, Ghana's manager Carlos Queiroz will become the second to lead a team in five consecutive World Cups, following Bora Milutinović.