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The 2026 World Cup, taking place in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will bring together 22 players who already know what it's like to lift the World Cup, a number that makes the tournament a unique stage where the experience of having tasted glory coexists with the ambitions of new generations.
These footballers belong to the last three teams that won the trophy: Germany (2014), France (2018), and Argentina (2022), and they arrive at the tournament with an advantage that no other participant can claim.
The smallest group is the German one. Of the entire generation that lifted the Cup in Brazil 2014, only Manuel Neuer remains at the global elite level. The legendary goalkeeper, at 40 years old, had announced his retirement from the national team in August 2024, but coach Julian Nagelsmann included him in the final list of 26 alongside figures like Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.
France contributes four champions from the 2018 World Cup who remain the backbone of the Bleus: Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Hernández, and N'Golo Kanté.
All of them were key players in the French conquest eight years ago, and they will now try to lead the team back to the pinnacle of world football.
However, no team arrives with as many reigning champions as Argentina. The Albiceleste features no less than 17 players who lifted the Cup in Qatar 2022, a figure that reflects the historical continuity of the project led by Lionel Scaloni.
At the forefront of that group is, of course, Lionel Messi. The Argentine captain won in Qatar the only title that was missing from his career, completing an unprecedented collection in the history of the sport.
Before that final, Messi had declared that it would be his last World Cup, but his inclusion in the call-up for 2026 confirms that he has decided to continue.
Alongside him return other heroes from that campaign: Emiliano Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico, Leandro Paredes, Exequiel Palacios, Gerónimo Rulli, and Thiago Almada.
The Argentine roster also includes nine World Cup debutants, blending the experience of champions with fresh talent.
The massive presence of Argentine champions makes the Albiceleste one of the main focal points of the tournament, not only because they will be defending the title won in Qatar, but also because most of the core team that achieved glory four years ago will continue to wear the light blue and white jersey.
This edition of the World Cup is also the first with 48 participating teams, expanding the stage and increasing the competition for those arriving with the crown.
In a tournament where new generations will try to write their own stories, these 22 footballers arrive with an advantage that no one else can claim: they have already been at the top of the world, and they know exactly what it takes to get back there.
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