The squads are in. All 48 of them. And across the 1,200-odd names confirmed for the June 11–July 19 World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, there are enough storylines to fill a tournament — which is, conveniently, exactly what's about to happen.
Guillermo Ochoa leads off the narrative: the 40-year-old is named in Mexico's squad and becomes the first Mexican player to appear at six World Cups. Javier Aguirre's group also features Santiago Gimenez and Raul Jimenez up front, giving them genuine cutting edge.
The Big Names, the Big Calls
Lionel Messi goes again. Six World Cups at 38, defending champion, Inter Miami as his club — and still the tournament's single biggest draw. Argentina's squad is loaded: Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez, and a front line that would embarrass most countries' entire squads.
Cristiano Ronaldo is also making a sixth appearance, aged 41, after Portugal coach Roberto Martinez named a 27-man squad — with a symbolic 'plus one' in memory of the late Diogo Jota. Whatever you think of the football logic, it'll be watched.
Erling Haaland leads Norway for what is the country's first World Cup since 1998. Martin Odegaard alongside him in midfield. That's a different Norway entirely from the ones that used to grind out results on artificial pitches.
Neymar returns for Brazil after a long injury absence. Vinicius Jr, Raphinha, Endrick, Martinelli — the options in attack are extraordinary. What Brazil lack, as ever, is a settled midfield structure. Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta are both excellent; whether they work together at tournament pace is the question the odds will eventually price in.
Manuel Neuer came out of international retirement to take the gloves for Germany. At 39. Whether that's an act of faith or a sign of how thin the options are depends entirely on your perspective — but Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel are both perfectly capable backup plans.
Notable Absences and Surprise Inclusions
England travel without Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Trent Alexander-Arnold — three of the Premier League's standout performers in recent seasons. Gareth Southgate's successor has gone a different direction: Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers, and Elliot Anderson get spots instead. Harry Kane leads the line. Jude Bellingham is the talisman. The squad is talented but the decisions around it will generate debate until the first whistle.
Belgium's inclusion of Romelu Lukaku is the selection that will raise the most eyebrows — he has played roughly an hour of competitive football this season. Rudi Garcia named him anyway. If it works, Garcia looks brave. If it doesn't, this will be the first question at every post-match press conference.
Spain arrive without a single Real Madrid player — a first in their World Cup history. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams provide the electricity, Rodri the structure, and Pedri and Gavi the continuity from their Euro 2024-winning core. They're among the shorter prices, and that's not without justification.
Morocco left out Youssef En-Nesyri and included Nayef Aguerd despite him not playing since early March. New coach Mohamed Ouahbi has taken a gamble on fitness. Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz give them star power; the defensive question marks are real.
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic
- Group B: Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
- Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
First-Timers and Long-Overdue Returns
Haiti are back at the World Cup for the first time in 52 years. Jordan are making their debut. Uzbekistan — led by Fabio Cannavaro and anchored by Abdukodir Khusanov of Manchester City — are playing their first-ever finals. These aren't just footnotes; they're the kind of stories that make a 48-team tournament feel genuinely global rather than just expanded.
South Africa return after 16 years, with Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos sticking largely with the players who earned the qualification. Ronwen Williams in goal, Lyle Foster leading the line from Burnley. They'll be massive underdogs in Group A — but they've earned the right to be there.
Sweden's Graham Potter has lost Dejan Kulusevski to a long-term knee injury, which he called a very difficult decision. Given that Kulusevski was arguably their most creative outlet in wide areas, that gap is real. Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal provides the goals. Whether the service reaches him consistently is Sweden's central problem going in.
The tournament kicks off June 11. By then, these 26-man lists will have been dissected, debated, and second-guessed a hundred times over. Most of it won't matter. What matters is what happens on the pitch.
