The 2026 World Cup will not only be the first World Cup in history to feature 48 teams, but also a tournament of significant milestones in terms of age, player resources, and the growing influence of the world's top national leagues.
The International Football Federation (FIFA) recently released a series of noteworthy statistics about the tournament.
Ronaldo is not the oldest player.
Cristiano Ronaldo is 41 years old and is preparing for his sixth World Cup. The Portuguese forward is the oldest outfield player (a term referring to positions other than goalkeeper) participating in this year's tournament, and also the oldest captain.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not the oldest player at the 2026 World Cup. (Source: AP)
However, if goalkeepers are included, Ronaldo is not the oldest player at the 2026 World Cup. That "title" belongs to Scotland's goalkeeper Craig Gordon. At 43 years old, Craig Gordon remains a reliable custodian for the "Tartan Army".
This veteran goalkeeper currently holds the second-highest number of caps for the Scottish national team in football history, behind only Andy Robertson.
Besides veterans like Ronaldo and Craig Gordon, the 2026 World Cup will also be a stage for a promising generation of young players. Mexican midfielder Gilberto Mora is the youngest player in the tournament at just 17 years old, an age when many talents are still playing in youth teams.
Meanwhile, Mladen Jurkas of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the youngest goalkeeper, making his debut on the biggest stage in world football at the age of 18.
The coaches' ages also vary widely, from young to old. Dick Advocaat of Curacao is the oldest strategist at the 2026 World Cup, at 78 years old. Notably, Advocaat was only invited back to coach the Curacao national team a month before the World Cup began. The Dutch coach will break the previous record held by Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 years old when he coached Greece at the 2010 World Cup.
While Germany's national team coach Julian Nagelsmann is only 38 years old, he is even younger than a player on the team, Manuel Neuer (40 years old).
The Premier League dominates.
At the club level, the 2026 World Cup continues to showcase the overwhelming influence of European football. Leading the list is Manchester City with 19 players called up. This number reflects the English team's status over the years under Pep Guardiola.
Following closely behind is Bayern Munich with 18 representatives. The next two teams, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, each contributed 16 players. Besides the top European clubs, Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia also impressed with a contribution of 12 players for the 2026 World Cup.
If we consider the countries where the players play at club level, over 16% of the players participating in the 2026 World Cup currently play football in England. This is double the percentage of Germany, which ranks second on the list.
Manchester City has 19 players called up to the squad for the 2026 World Cup. (Source: AP)
Outside of the top five European leagues, Saudi Arabia has the most players in the World Cup. The Saudi Pro League boasts 49 World Cup participants, more than the American Major League Soccer (MLS) with 48 players.
At the confederation level, the European Football Federation (UEFA) continues to dominate with nearly 70% of the players participating in the tournament. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ranks second with 187 players, equivalent to 15.01%.
Looking at the continental federations, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has the most players currently competing in the 2026 World Cup with 80. The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) ranks second with 63 players, while Africa contributes 53 representatives. Oceania continues to be the most modest region with only 8 players competing in the world's biggest football tournament.
Argentina's "coaching academy"
The influence of Argentinian football will be strongly evident at the 2026 World Cup. Six teams participating in this year's tournament are placing their faith in Argentinian coaches more than any other nationality. Specifically, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the United States all have Argentinian head coaches.
Notably, Graham Potter was the only English strategist participating in the tournament, yet he was managing the Swedish national team.
Meanwhile, England placed their faith in German manager Thomas Tuchel. Similarly, the only American coach in the tournament was Jesse Marsch, but he was managing the Canadian national team.