Nine days to go and the squads are finally in — from 17-year-old debutants to a 43-year-old goalkeeper, this World Cup is about to be the biggest, boldest and most diverse yet.

Right, the wait’s over. FIFA has dropped the final squad lists for the 2026 World Cup and, honestly, it’s massive. We’re talking 1,248 players from 48 nations getting ready to light up Canada, Mexico and the US across 104 matches. That’s the most dreams we’ve ever packed into one tournament, says cbinews.tv.

A truly global cast

This isn’t just bigger — it’s different. You’ve got 357 lads who’ve been here before, mixing with 891 fresh faces getting their first taste of the World Cup. Proper out with the old, in with the new energy.

And the age gap? Wild. Scotland’s Craig Gordon is pulling on the gloves at 43 years and 162 days old, while Mexico’s Gilberto Mora is just 17 years and 240 days. That’s over 25 years between them. In total, 22 players are under 20, seven are 40 or above, and 22 past winners are back for another crack at it.

History makers and new kids on the block

Some legends just don’t quit. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa are all lining up for a record-breaking *sixth* World Cup. Sixth. Let that sink in.

But it’s not all about the old guard. Four nations are making their World Cup debut: Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. For Uzbekistan, Man City’s Abdukodir Khusanov is carrying a whole country’s hopes. Keep your eyes on France’s Warren Zaïre-Emery, New Zealand’s Finn Surman and Morocco’s Bilal El Khannouss too — the next gen is here.

The world’s game, literally

The squads show just how global football has become. Players are coming from 449 different clubs across 71 countries. On one end you’ve got Qatar and Saudi Arabia with 25 out of 26 players based at home. On the other, Cabo Verde, Congo DR, Côte d’Ivoire, Curaçao, Senegal and Uruguay have picked entire squads playing abroad.

Even the dugouts are making history. Ghana’s boss Carlos Queiroz is at his fifth straight World Cup, after Portugal in 2010 and IR Iran in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Only Bora Milutinović has done that before.

Bottom line: this is football at its most united, most diverse, and most exciting. Nine days until kick-off — we’re ready.

Full squad lists went in on Monday; 1 June and you can see them all on FIFA.com. Teams can still swap players for serious injury or illness up to 24 hours before their first game, if FIFA gives the nod.

Attribution: cbinews.tv

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