The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to be the most dynamic and expansive edition of the tournament in its history. The scale of this competition is genuinely unprecedented. More teams, more cities, more matches, and a format that gives a wider range of nations and players a real opportunity to make their mark on the global stage.
According to 247bet and other reputable betting sites, the race for the trophy is expected to be closely contested at the top of the market, with Spain, England, and France positioned as the three leading favorites heading into the tournament. Spain are currently viewed as the most likely winners. France and England sit close behind, both carrying squads deep enough to compete through the knockout rounds.
But set the title race aside for a moment. One of the more fascinating dimensions of this particular World Cup is the presence of several players who are, by any reasonable footballing standard, well into the final phase of their careers. Five players aged 40 or over have made it to this tournament. Some are here for a farewell. Others are still contributing at a meaningful level. All of them have careers worth examining.
The Oldest Players at the World Cup 2026: An Overview
The five oldest players at this tournament range in age from 40 to 43, and the list is dominated by goalkeepers. That pattern reflects a broader truth about professional football: outfield players tend to retire earlier, while goalkeepers can maintain their physical sharpness and technical reliability into their forties at a level that outfield players rarely match.
Craig Gordon
Craig Gordon holds the distinction of being the oldest player at the World Cup 2026. At 43 years and five months, his presence in Scotland’s squad is the result of a career that has shown remarkable staying power.
His Premier League years at Sunderland between 2007 and 2012 established him as one of the better goalkeepers in English football at the time, and he subsequently spent several seasons as first choice at Celtic before returning to Hearts.
What makes his situation particularly notable is that this World Cup will be his first major international tournament appearance. Scotland’s long absences from major competitions (they had not been to a World Cup since 1998) denied him that stage for the bulk of his career.
Angus Gunn is expected to be Scotland’s starting goalkeeper at this tournament, which means Gordon’s playing time is likely to be limited.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence at a sixth World Cup is, on its own terms, a remarkable fact. No player in the tournament’s history has appeared at six editions, and the Portuguese forward achieved that milestone at 41 years of age.
Most observers had assumed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar represented his final international appearance, but Ronaldo had no intention of stepping away from either club or international football.
His motivation is straightforward to identify. Lionel Messi won the World Cup in 2022, adding the one major trophy that had eluded him throughout his career. That result shifted the terms of the long-running debate over which player is the greatest in football history, and Ronaldo is fully aware of it. Winning this World Cup with Portugal would be the most significant achievement remaining in his career, and that awareness will shape every decision he makes during the tournament.
The challenge is managing that personal ambition alongside the team’s needs. Portugal have the quality to go far, but it may require Ronaldo to take a less central role than he is used to. Whether he is willing to do that will be one of the key questions surrounding the team.
Guillermo Ochoa
Few goalkeepers in the modern era have built the kind of tournament reputation that Guillermo Ochoa has earned without ever playing for one of Europe’s top clubs.
His name became globally recognized through a series of outstanding World Cup performances, none more celebrated than his display against Brazil in 2014
Now 40 and playing for AEL Limassol in Cyprus, Ochoa is no longer Mexico’s first-choice goalkeeper. His role at this World Cup will likely be a supporting one, but it would be very surprising if coach Javier Aguirre did not find a way to give him minutes during the group stage. For a player who has contributed so much to Mexico’s World Cup history, a final appearance on that stage would be a fitting way to close out his international career.
Luka Modric
Luka Modric arrives at this World Cup with retirement from both club and international football reportedly planned for after the tournament. If that is confirmed, he will join a distinguished list of players who chose a major international stage as the appropriate setting for their final competitive matches.
What separates Modric from other veterans in this group is that he is still a functional, contributing member of Croatia’s squad, not simply a figurehead.
He moved from Real Madrid to AC Milan last summer, where he made 34 league appearances across the Serie A season. At 40, his technical ability and game intelligence remain largely intact. Croatia will rely on him to control the tempo of their matches and to provide the midfield stability that no other player in their squad can replicate. He is also approaching 200 international caps, a landmark he may well pass during the tournament itself.
Edin Džeko
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup was not straightforward, and Edin Džeko played a direct role in making it happen.
At club level, Džeko helped Schalke 04 earn promotion back to the Bundesliga this season, recording six goals and three assists in eleven matches.
For a forward his age, that kind of output at a competitive club level is a strong indicator of continued fitness and relevance. This is only his second World Cup, with his first coming in 2014, when Bosnia were placed in a difficult group alongside Argentina, Iran, and Nigeria and were eliminated at the group stage. He scored once in that tournament. This time, with a stronger Bosnia side and more experience behind him, the hope is that the team can progress further.
The Other End of the Spectrum: Youth at the World Cup 2026
The contrast between the players discussed above and the youngest members of the tournament is one of the most striking features of the 2026 edition.
While five men in their forties are preparing for what may be their final competitive appearances, several teenagers and early-twenty-year-olds are arriving in North America at the very beginning of what could be long international careers.
Mexico’s Gilberto Mora, still only 17, became the youngest scorer in the history of Mexico’s professional league at 15 and has already won the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Germany’s Lennart Karl, 18, contributed nine goals and eight assists in his debut season at Bayern Munich. Croatia’s Luka Vušković, 19, was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Month four times in a single season. Turkey’s Kenan Yildiz, 21, is the central figure in his country’s first World Cup squad in 24 years.
That range, from a 43-year-old goalkeeper making his first tournament appearance to a 17-year-old striker who has already broken national records, captures something essential about the World Cup. It is, above everything else, a competition where the entire spectrum of a footballer’s career plays out on the same pitch, at the same time.
