Ronaldo, Messi, Salah and More: The Football Legends Set to Make Their Final FIFA World Cup Appearances in 2026

When the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across North America, it will carry a weight beyond the competition itself. For a group of all-time greats, the tournament is expected to represent the last time they pull on their national colours on football’s biggest stage — a farewell tour decades in the making.

**Cristiano Ronaldo — Portugal**

Portugal’s captain arrives at what is almost certainly his sixth and final World Cup having already cemented his place as the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s international football. With over 200 caps and five Ballon d’Or awards to his name, Ronaldo holds records for the most goals and appearances in European Championship history. Turning 41 during the 2026 tournament cycle, he will be 45 by the time the 2030 edition arrives — an age at which retaining a place in any competitive international squad would be unrealistic. Featuring in 2026 would make him the first male player to appear in six separate World Cup tournaments, a milestone that lends the campaign particular personal significance. Portugal’s emerging attacking depth, featuring Rafael Leão, João Félix, and Gonçalo Ramos, further signals that 2026 represents the appropriate handover point. His previous World Cup appearances came in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.

**Lionel Messi — Argentina**

At 39, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has already achieved the one goal that had eluded him for most of his career — the FIFA World Cup, won with Argentina in Qatar in 2022. His international honours also include Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, the Finalissima in 2022, and an Olympic gold medal in 2008. Messi has progressively adopted a deeper, more conserved role to manage his physical output, a style that would be unsustainable at international level by 2030 when he would be 43. His move to Major League Soccer underlines a deliberate transition away from the most demanding tier of the game. He has been included in Argentina’s preliminary longlist for 2026, with defending the title framed as an emotional conclusion rather than a chase for missing honours.

**Luka Modric — Croatia**

Croatia’s all-time appearance leader and the country’s most celebrated player, Luka Modric, will be 40 during the 2026 tournament. His 2018 Ballon d’Or victory — breaking the extended dominance of Messi and Ronaldo — alongside the 2018 World Cup Golden Ball, mark the peak of his individual honours. Croatia finished as runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and claimed bronze in 2022, though the country has not won a major international trophy during his era. The physical demands of his central midfield role — high-intensity pressing, transition tracking, and sustained engine work — make continued participation at the 2030 level, when he would be 44, effectively impossible. His World Cup appearances to date span 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022.

**Manuel Neuer — Germany**

The goalkeeper who redefined the position through his “sweeper-keeper” model, Manuel Neuer won the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove in 2014 as Germany claimed the title in Brazil. A two-time German Footballer of the Year, Neuer spent more than a decade as the country’s first-choice keeper and captain. Now 40, his career has been complicated by significant injury setbacks, including a complex leg fracture that tested the boundaries of his recovery. The explosive, sweeping style that made him a revolutionary figure demands physical attributes that naturally diminish with age, making a sustained run to 2030 highly improbable as younger German goalkeepers emerge. He has previously featured at the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 tournaments.

**Mohamed Salah — Egypt**

Regarded by many as the finest African player of his generation, Mohamed Salah holds the record for the most goals scored by an African player in Premier League history and is a two-time African Footballer of the Year. At 34, the Egypt captain and talismanic forward carries the full weight of his nation’s World Cup ambitions. His sole World Cup appearance came in 2018. Egypt reached the Africa Cup of Nations final in both 2017 and 2021 without claiming the title. Should Egypt qualify for 2026, Salah’s participation would represent a rare second opportunity on the sport’s grandest stage and, in all likelihood, his last.

Collectively, these seven players account for a combined haul of world titles, individual awards, and continental honours that spans more than two decades. The 2026 tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is scheduled to run from June to July. Beyond the competition for the trophy itself, it will serve as an extended farewell to a generation that fundamentally shaped modern football.