The Last Dance: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo & the veteran stars set to play their final World Cup in 2026

Lionel Messi is on the verge of turning 39, and - despite some cryptic messages along the way - has committed to playing in a record-breaking sixth World Cup.

The greatest player in the history of the game won the one competition that had eluded him when Argentina defeated France in the 2022 final. Since then, Messi has moved Stateside to Inter Miami, stepping away from European football and taking more care of his body in the less demanding - but no less entertaining - world of MLS. 

He has continued to represent his country, scoring and creating in moments that no other player his age would be able to comprehend. Questions remain over whether the Argentine magician can handle the expanded format in combination with the scorching heat expected in North America, but it would be foolish to expect Messi to bow out quietly.

At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo would become the oldest player to ever lift the World Cup should Portugal triumph this summer. Unlike Messi, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is yet to win the tournament, nor has he even registered a goal in the knockout rounds, meaning his World Cup legacy has fallen well short of his iconic status.

It should be impossible for a player of Ronaldo's age to still be capable of competing at the top level, yet here he is, still scoring prolifically in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, and still insisting he has no plans to retire anytime soon. 

Portugal’s squad is stacked with talent while the likes of Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto and Goncalo Ramos are all waiting in the wings to build their international careers, but Roberto Martinez has continued to build around Ronaldo as a central part of his quest to deliver a first World Cup to the European nation. Joining Messi in featuring at his sixth finals, this is surely CR7's final shot at global glory.

There is a third player who is set to join Messi and Ronaldo in playing at their sixth World Cup this summer, though there was far less certainty surrounding Guillermo Ochoa's participation in the tournament.

A veteran of over 150 caps for Mexico, the legendary goalkeeper had made just one appearance for El Tri since the CONCACAF Nations League finals in March 2024, and was not expected to be part of Javier Aguirre's squad. However, after first-choice shot-stopper, Angel Malagon, suffered an Achilles injury in March, the door opened for Ochoa to make his return to the co-hosts' ranks at the age of 40.

Ochoa's nomadic career has seen him spend time playing club football in Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and Belgium, while he spent last season in Cyprus with AEL Limassol. He has hinted that he will retire after the World Cup, bringing to an end the career of a man who has become a tournament staple over the past two decades.

Ochoa isn't the only legendary goalkeeper to have received an unexpected call-up, either. With Marc-Andre ter Stegen having struggled with injuries over the past two years, and as doubts persisted over the form of prospective starter Oliver Baumann, Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann made the bold choice to call Manuel Neuer up out of international retirement for one last rodeo.

Neuer was among a number of veterans who called time on their Germany careers after they hosted Euro 2024, but has been coaxed back to play at his fifth World Cup at the age of 40 after another season of impressive performances for Bayern Munich.

Nagelsmann has confirmed that Neuer will be his No.1 in North America as Die Mannschaft look to avoid a third successive group-stage exit.

Another 40-year-old, Luka Modric is second only to Ronaldo when it comes to the oldest outfield players at this World Cup as he aims to add one final chapter to his storied career at the tournament. The midfield maestro led Croatia to their first-ever final in 2018, where they ultimately lost to France, while Modric also inspired his country's third-placed finish in 2022.

Modric joined AC Milan last summer following his release by Real Madrid in a bid to keep his legs sharp, and he will now take to the field at his fifth World Cup finals, where he will become just the fourth player to accrue 200 international caps (presuming Messi beats him to it - the Argentine currently boasts 198 caps to Modric's 197).

Unlike Messi, Ronaldo and Modric, Edin Dzeko would have been forgiven for thinking his World Cup journey was already over given Bosnia and Herzegovina's struggles to qualify for major tournaments since their sole World Cup appearance in 2014. However, Dzeko was able to inspire his fellow countrymen one last time, and after beating Italy in the UEFA play-offs, will take to the field as a 40-year-old in North America.

About to surpass 150 caps for his country, during which time he has netted over 70 goals, Dzeko has shown he can still find the back of the net with regularity since he joined Schalke in January, whom he helped fire to promotion back to the Bundesliga. The former Manchester City and Inter striker hasn't played in the number of tournaments that his career deserves, and so it will be nice for Dzeko to bow out on the grandest stage of all.

A bunch of teams will likely bid farewell to their greatest-ever players at this World Cup, and South Korea might be among them if Son Heung-min decides extending his international career past 2026.

Set to turn 34 in July, Son still has more time on his side than others, but the demands of both captaining and carrying the expectations of a nation that is obsessed with the success of its football team is burdensome at best. Having already turned his back on the European game to join LAFC in MLS, the Tottenham legend may well feel he has given all he can to the Korean cause by the time their tournament ends.

Just a few days older than Son and in a similar boat when it comes being the greatest player in his nation's footballing history, Mohamed Salah has carried Egypt almost exclusively on his own back for years. He does have something of a support cast this time around, led by Manchester City's Omar Marmoush, but the Pharoahs will once again look to Salah for inspiration in North America despite his form for Liverpool having dropped off a cliff over the past 12 months.

There will undoubtedly be an extra hunger and bite in Salah’s step, especially after his only other World Cup appearance, in 2018, was partly ruined by the shoulder injury he suffered in that year's Champions League final. For a player of his standing in the game, Salah needs to produce something at a global tournament to further boost his lasting legacy.

With a move to Saudi Arabia seemingly on the cards following his departure from Anfield, Salah is surely going to begin winding down his career in the coming years. Expecting him to continue his international career after this summer, then, might seem fanciful.

Sadio Mane has been a defining figure in Senegal’s success over the last decade, and with the forward having turned 34 ahead of the World Cup, this may well be his last chance to lead his country out at the tournament.

The former Liverpool and Bayern Munich winger was the man who converted the penalty to win his country their first Africa Cup of Nations title in 2021, and he has carried the Lions of Teranga to consecutive World Cup appearances, even if he was then forced to sit out in 2022 due to injury.

Mane's move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia has reduced his visibility to European fans, but he has always remained committed to his country and continues to captain them. With names like Ismaila Sarr and Illiman Ndiaye blossoming into superb talents around him, Mane’s leadership and experience could be exactly what Senegal need to make a deep run in 2026.

Rounding out a trio of Champions League and Premier League winners from Africa, Riyad Mahrez is one of the most gifted players of his generation to emerge from the continent. Even at 35, Mahrez's dazzling dribbling and mesmerising first touch still leave fans and team-mates in awe, and not many will argue that he deserves a heroic send-off from the international arena.

Remarkably for a player of Mahrez's talents, he has only ever previously made one World Cup appearance, and that came all the way back in 2014, with Algeria having failed to qualify since that tournament in Brazil. This summer, then, offers Mahrez an opportunity to finally produce the goods on the global stage as he continues to wind down his career in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli.

Mahrez's former Manchester City team-mate, Kevin De Bruyne has endured an injury-hit debut season at Napoli following his departure from the Etihad Stadium, and there is a fear that the midfielder's body might be giving up on him as he approaches his 35th birthday later this month.

When fit, De Bruyne remains one of the most complete playmakers in world football, and he will believe he can inspire Belgium one final time as the final members of the much-vaunted 'Golden Generation' go in search of glory.

Rudi Garcia's squad may be in transition, but De Bruyne is still the main man who can split defences with a breath-taking pass or produce a spectacular strike from distance. If he can stay healthy, the Red Devils could emerge as a dark horse this summer.

Virgil van Dijk has gotten better with age, and though he will turn 35 during the World Cup, there is no doubt that he will play a pivotal role in the Netherlands’ campaign this summer.

The veteran defender has been the cornerstone upon which Liverpool have become one of Europe's most feared sides, with some opposition strikers even going as far as to actively involve going up against Van Dijk one-on-one for fear of being embarrassed. 

The past season has, admittedly, not been Van Dijk's best, with there some fears on Merseyside that the Reds' captain might have lost a yard of pace and that his defensive awareness is not at the level it used to be. Dutch fans, then, will be hoping to see their skipper pick things back up at what is likely to be his second and final World Cup.

A star of the 2014 World Cup, James Rodriguez will turn 35 in July, but for Colombia fans, his presence in North America is essential. Having stunned the globe with one of the most iconic individual tournaments 12 years ago - which ultimately earned him a move to Real Madrid - James has often struggled to maintain his physical fitness in the years since. 

His career has been plagued by injuries, so much so that he has taken to spending short spells with clubs to keep himself ticking over - most recently with Minnesota United in MLS - while saving his best for international games.

James owes his career to the World Cup, and a final chapter on the grandest stage of them all feels fitting for one of the tournament's most iconic faces.

Neymar and the 2026 World Cup: It's been a journey - and Brazil don't even get going for another week! The Selecao's all-time top goal-scorer hasn't made an international appearance since he tore his ACL in October 2023, and with Carlo Ancelotti continuing to ignore him after he took the managerial reins in September, any hope Neymar had of one last global tournament seemed to be over.

However, after a couple of injuries to some of Brazil's forwards, Ancelotti handed Neymar a lifeline at the final moment, and named the Santos attacker in his 26-man squad, sparking wild celebrations from supporters. It remains to see what kind of role Ancelotti envisages the 34-year-old having in North America, though he will have to prove his fitness first after suffering yet another injury just days after receiving his call-up.

It's clear Neymar's body is giving up on him, and the thought of him remaining in good enough shape to play at the 2030 World Cup is fanciful at best. This, then, is his final opportunity to try and get Brazil that much-coveted sixth star.

Harry Kane may well be at the peak of his powers. At 32, he is still proving to be one of Europe’s most lethal finishers after rattling in over 60 goals for Bayern Munich this past season, and he stands alone as England’s top scorer of all-time.

There is, then, a world in which Kane powers on until the 2030 World Cup - and with the drop-off to those behind in the pecking order, Three Lions fans will hope that proves to be the case. But with a European Championship coming up 2028 for which England are co-hosts, that tournament could well serve as the perfect opportunity for Kane to bring the curtain down on his international career.

The presence of that tournament on home soil means this could be a final World Cup for the likes of Jordan Pickford, John Stones and maybe even Marcus Rashford, with the chance to retire from international duty in front of their own fans a tempting proposition.