The 2026 World Cup kicks off this week across the USA, Canada and Mexico — and the cast list might be the strongest the tournament has ever seen.
Lionel Messi, now 38, leads defending champions Argentina into a record sixth World Cup — a mark he shares only with Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in North America with Portugal at 41. At the other end of the story arc is Lamine Yamal: Spain's 18-year-old winger, already a European champion, and the favourite to make this tournament his own.
Kylian Mbappé arrives one goal away from becoming France's all-time leading scorer, while Erling Haaland — top scorer in all of UEFA qualifying with 16 goals — finally gets his first World Cup after firing Norway back to the finals for the first time since 1998. England look to Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham; Brazil to the electric Vinícius Júnior; Egypt, as ever, to Mohamed Salah.
And for the Caribbean, the World Cup hits different this year: Haiti are back for the first time in 52 years, and Curaçao have qualified for the first time in their history.
We have built full profiles of the stars to watch — including the Caribbean names carrying the region's flag — in our World Cup hub, with every fixture on the schedule ready to add to your must-watch list.