The Stars Playing Their Final World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo will be 41 when he captains Portugal in North America this summer, and he has said it will be his final World Cup. He is far from alone. The 2026 tournament, which kicks off on 11 June, doubles as a long goodbye for a generation of players who have shaped the game since the mid-2000s, and the squads named over the past three weeks have confirmed who gets one last shot.

Three of them, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa, are reaching a sixth World Cup, more than any man before them. For some, the exit is already confirmed, for others, it is what age and the calendar make all but certain. Here are ten stars taking what is, in all likelihood, a final bow, plus the greats who will be watching from home.

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1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal

Ronaldo arrives with almost every record worth holding. He is the leading scorer in men's international football with 143 goals, the most-capped man in the game and a five-time Ballon d'Or winner who has passed 950 goals for club and country. He won the European Championship in 2016 and lifted the Nations League with Portugal twice, yet the one prize he craves has always escaped him.

Roberto Martinez named him on 19 May, and Portugal qualified as winners of their European group after a 9-1 thrashing of Armenia. They begin in Group K against the Democratic Republic of Congo on 17 June. At 41, with no Portugal forward of his vintage left to follow, this is the last attempt at the trophy missing from his collection.

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2. Lionel Messi, Argentina

Messi lifted the trophy in Qatar four years ago, the one honour that had eluded him, and most assumed that was the place to stop. Instead, the Argentina captain is back, turning 39 during the group stage and chasing something only two nations have managed: consecutive world titles. He goes into the tournament with eight Ballon d'Or awards and 13 World Cup goals, three short of Miroslav Klose's record of 16.

Lionel Scaloni confirmed him on 28 May, a fortnight after a left hamstring scare with Inter Miami. Argentina sit in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan. His minutes may be managed and his influence saved for the knockout ties that matter, but a back-to-back winner would stand almost alone in the history of the game.

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3. Neymar, Brazil

Few comebacks carried more weight. Carlo Ancelotti named Neymar in his squad on 18 May, ending an absence of more than two and a half years that began with a serious knee injury against Uruguay in October 2023. Brazil's all-time leading scorer returns at 34 for a fourth World Cup, and given his recent fitness record, few expect him to reach a fifth.

He is unlikely to be the focal point this time, with Vinicius Junior and Raphinha leading a younger attack, but Ancelotti kept a place for the moments only Neymar can produce. Brazil open Group C against Morocco on 13 June at MetLife Stadium, chasing a first title since 2002.

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4. Luka Modric, Croatia

Croatia built two great modern World Cup runs around a single midfielder, and Modric is somehow still here for a fifth tournament at 40. He took the Golden Ball as the best player in 2018, when Croatia reached the final, then drove the side to third in Qatar. He is also the oldest player to score at a European Championship, having netted against Italy at Euro 2024 aged 38.

Now with AC Milan, he was named by Zlatko Dalic on 18 May after Croatia topped their qualifying group with seven wins from eight. They open against England on 17 June in Arlington, a heavyweight first match that shapes Group L. A deep run would carry him close to 200 caps, and at 40, there will be no encore in 2030.

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5. Guillermo Ochoa, México

While Ronaldo and Messi grab the headlines, Mexico's goalkeeper quietly matches them. Guillermo Ochoa first appeared at a World Cup in Germany in 2006, and his selection by Javier Aguirre on 1 June puts him on course to become the first Mexican to feature at six editions, level with Messi and Ronaldo. Twenty years separate his first tournament from his last.

The 40-year-old, who now plays for Cypriot side AEL Limassol and has 152 caps, will turn 41 during the competition. He may sit behind Luis Angel Malagon in the pecking order, but as co-hosts Mexico open the entire tournament on 11 June against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, the stage suits a long career's final act.

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6. Mohamed Salah, Egypt

Egypt's captain is appearing at only his second World Cup, having watched the 2022 edition from afar after the Pharaohs missed out. Mohamed Salah, named in Hossam Hassan's 26 at the end of May, sits on 67 international goals, two behind a record held by his own head coach. A goal in North America would tie the man picking the team.

Egypt have never won a match at the tournament across three previous appearances, and at 33, this is almost certainly Salah's last attempt to change that. They face a hard Group G with Belgium, Iran and New Zealand, and the Liverpool forward remains the one player capable of carrying them through.

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7. Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium

The last of Belgium's golden generation gets one more attempt at the prize that eluded them. Kevin De Bruyne, named by Rudi Garcia on 15 May, lines up for a fourth World Cup at 34 alongside fellow survivors Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois. He remains Belgium's joint-leading World Cup assist provider, level with the retired Eden Hazard.

Now at Napoli after a trophy-laden spell at Manchester City, De Bruyne is no longer the team's reference point but is still its sharpest creative mind. Belgium reached the semi-finals in 2018 and will fancy escaping a Group G in which a meeting with Iran awaits, though at his age, another tournament looks improbable.

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8. Son Heung-min, South Korea

South Korea's captain heads to a fourth World Cup as the most-capped player in his country's history, with 143 appearances. Son Heung-min, confirmed by Hong Myung-bo on 16 May, has 56 international goals and needs two more to overtake Cha Bum-kun's national record, a milestone he could reach this summer.

Now playing in the United States with Los Angeles FC after years at Tottenham Hotspur, the 33-year-old knows the host country well. South Korea are in Group A with hosts Mexico, and while many expect this to be his final tournament, his form on the pitch suggests a player in no mood to fade quietly.

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9. James Rodriguez, Colombia

The Golden Boot winner from Brazil 2014 returns for a third World Cup as Colombia's captain. James Rodriguez, named by Nestor Lorenzo on 25 May, remains his country's all-time leading scorer at the finals, and he set up more goals than anyone else in South American qualifying. Colombia are back after missing 2022, and James is the emotional centre of the side.

His club football has slowed, with only a handful of games for Minnesota United before his departure in May, but his passing range has not. Colombia line up in Group K with Portugal and open against Uzbekistan on 17 June. At 34, this is in all probability his last act on the biggest stage.

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10. Sadio Mane, Senegal

Senegal's all-time top scorer makes up for lost time. Sadio Mane missed the 2022 World Cup through injury, so 2026 is only his second, and at 34, it is likely his last. Pape Thiaw kept him at the heart of a strong squad, and Mane arrived in form after being named player of the tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, when he inspired Senegal to the title.

The Al-Nassr forward, with 53 goals in 126 appearances, leads the line for arguably the best of the ten African qualifiers. Senegal open in Group I against France, a repeat of the 2002 meeting that announced them to the world.

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The greats who will not be there

Not every legend made the trip. Robert Lewandowski, Poland's record scorer, saw his last realistic chance vanish when Sweden won their qualifying playoff 3-2 in March, and Italy missed out for a third tournament running, taking Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sandro Tonali with them. Brazil left out 41-year-old Thiago Silva, ending his run of four straight World Cups.

Several names that defined the 2010s had already stepped away. Toni Kroos retired after Euro 2024, while his former Germany team-mates Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer ended their international careers soon after, even as Germany themselves qualified. For all of them, 2026 is the tournament that got away.

A last chance to see them live

Group-stage tickets for the marquee nations move first, and availability tightens as the tournament nears for any side carrying one of these names. If you are travelling, it is worth checking the latest entry and ticketing requirements early, including whether a Fan ID is needed for matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Resale prices for a knockout tie featuring a departing great tend to climb as kick-off approaches, so this really is the last realistic window to watch any of them at a final World Cup.

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However the summer unfolds, 1BoxOffice lists resale tickets for every nation in the tournament, from the opening games to the final, each order backed by a 150% money-back guarantee if it ever falls through.

Sources: ESPN, Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, FourFourTwo, Sky Sports.