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Analysis
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Ronaldo, Messi and the stars playing in their last ever World Cup
8 Jun 2026 18:33 BST |
4 min read
Analysis
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in the tournament’s history, with 48 nations competing to lift the biggest trophy in international football on 19 July.
North America will be blessed by some of the most exciting wonderkids in world football across a month of unmissable action, however a number of elder statesmen will also grace the turf in their final ever World Cup tournament.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through the big-name players who will be taking part in their final ever World Cup this summer.
Which players will be taking part in their final World Cup this summer?
There were doubts over whether Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would both last until 2026, however their career-long rivalry has been extended in recent years and they will both take to the field this summer.
But, the former is now 38 years old and the latter is 41, meaning they are unlikely to feature at the 2030 World Cup. As a result, this will be the last time we see either player in action at the World Cup, with Ronaldo looking to replicate his great rival by winning the tournament for Portugal.
Croatia legend Luka Modric will be hoping for one last dance after finishing second in 2018 and third in 2022. He is now 40 years old and while he impressed during his debut season at AC Milan, there is very little chance he will still be playing in four years’ time.
Neymar was a surprise selection by Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti, given his fall from grace in recent years, but he has battled past injury woes to make it to North America. At 34 years old, he could still feasibly be playing in 2030, however his body is likely to break down before then and retirement could be calling after this summer’s tournament.
Netherlands star Virgil van Dijk will turn 35 years old during the World Cup and while he remains one of his country’s most important players, it’s highly likely that he will have retired from international football before 2030.
Romelu Lukaku, who is Belgium’s all-time record goalscorer, is now 33 years old and although he could still be playing during the next tournament, he is likely to have fallen out of the national team picture.
His Belgium team-mate Kevin de Bruyne will turn 35 years old in late June and, as such, this will be his final World Cup and potentially his last ever international tournament.
Casemiro, Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, Raul Jimenez and Thibaut Courtois also likely won’t be around in 2030.
The likes of Mohamed Salah (33), Heung-min Son (33), Granit Xhaka (33), John Stones (32), Andy Robertson (32), Harry Kane (32) may also be playing in their final ever World Cup this summer, but they could stick around until the next tournament if they wish.
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