2022 World Cup: Meet All the 32 Captains Who Will Lead Their Countries in Qatar

2022 World Cup: Meet All the 32 Captains Who Will Lead Their Countries in Qatar

Fred Kennedy
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:05 PM
  • Up to 32 teams are scheduled to take part in the 2022 edition of the World Cup in Qatar
  • The competition will see Ronaldo and Lionel Messi captain their respective teams at the football tournament
  • France's Hugo Lloris will be looking to make history as the first captain to win the tournament back-to-back

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the standout names that will be gracing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The two football stars who are widely regarded as the greatest of all time will be captaining their respective countries at the global football tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Euro 2020, Puskas Arena. Photo by Tibor Illyes - Pool
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group F match between Portugal and France at Puskas Arena. Photo by Tibor Illyes - Pool
Source: Getty Images

This will be the fifth World Cup appearance for the pair who have grown through the ranks within their respective countries.

While Ronaldo will be skippering Portugal, Messi will be leading Argentina as they hope to lift the prestigious trophy which they have narrowly lost on three occasions.

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Hugo Lloris and Robert Lewandowski who have also entered the twilight years of their careers will also be donning the captain's armband in Qatar.

Lloris is already a World Cup winner as he was part of the France team that won the tournament during the 2018 edition.

He will now be hoping to become the first captain to win the global tournament back-to-back.

Here are the 32 captains going to the 2022 World Cup as per Goal:

1. Mathew Ryan (Australia)

Current club: Real Sociedad

2. Ehsan Hajsafi (Iran)

Current club: AEK Athens

3. Maya Yoshida (Japan)

Current club: Sampdoria

4. Hassan Al-Haydos (Qatar)

Current club: Al Sadd

5. Salman Al-Faraj (Saudi Arabia)

Current club: Al-Hilal

6. Son Heung-min (South Korea)

Current club: Tottenham Hotspur

7. Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon)

Current club: Al Nassr

8. Andre Ayew (Ghana)

Current club: Al Sadd

9. Romain Saïss (Morocco)

Current club: Wolves

10. Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal)

Current club: Napoli

11. Youssef Msakni (Tunisia)

Current club: Al Duhail

12. Atiba Hutchinson (Canada)

Current club: Besiktas

13. Bryan Ruiz (Costa Rica)

Current club: Alajuelense

14. Andres Guardado (Mexico)

Current club: Real Betis

15. Christian Pulisic (USA)

Current club: Chelsea

16. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Current club: PSG

17. Thiago Silva (Brazil)

Current club: Chelsea

18. Enner Valencia (Ecuador)

Current club: Fenerbahce

19. Diego Godin (Uruguay)

Current club: Velez Sarsfield

20. Eden Hazard (Belgium)

Current club: Real Madrid

21. Luka Modric (Croatia)

Current club: Real Madrid

22. Simon Kjaer (Denmark)

Current club: AC Milan

23. Gareth Bale (Wales)

Current club: Without a club

24. Harry Kane (England)

Current club: Tottenham Hotspur

25. Hugo Lloris (France)

Current club: Tottenham Hotspur

26. Manuel Neuer (Germany)

Current club: Bayern Munich

27. Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)

Current club: Liverpool

28. Robert Lewandowski (Poland)

Current club: Bayern Munich

29. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Current club: Manchester United

30. Dusan Tadic (Serbia)

Current club: Ajax

31. Sergio Busquets (Spain)

Current club: FC Barcelona

32. Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)

Current club: Arsenal

Brazil retains top spot in latest FIFA rankings

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Brazil have retained the top spot in the latest FIFA rankings, beating Belgium and Argentina to the lucrative spot.

The 2018 World Cup champions, France, were the biggest losers of the listing as they dropped out of the top three.

In Africa, AFCON champions Senegal, Tunisia, and Nigeria are the highest-placed countries, with the Lions of Teranga ranking 18th globally.

Authors
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Fred Kennedy
Fred Kennedy has a Bachelor's degree in journalism (Daystar University), currently working as a Sports Editor. He has more than five years of experience in digital journalism.