22 World Cup winners set to compete at 2026 tournament

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will feature 1,248 players from 48 teams, all vying for football's most prestigious prize. Among them, 22 players have already experienced the thrill of lifting the trophy, having been part of victorious campaigns in previous tournaments.

The three most recent champions—Germany (2014), France (2018), and Argentina (2022)—all have players on their rosters who have reached the pinnacle of the sport. Argentina, the reigning champion, boasts the largest contingent of returning winners with 17 players from their Qatar 2022 triumph.

Germany: Manuel Neuer carries the torch

At 40 years old, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is the sixth oldest player in the 2026 finals and the only German squad member to have previously won the World Cup. He lifted the trophy at Brazil 2014, playing in all seven matches during that campaign. Neuer had retired from international duty but returned for what will be his fourth World Cup appearance. He has amassed 19 World Cup matches in total.

France: Four veterans from 2018

France, the 2018 champion, has four players who were part of that victorious squad: Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Hernandez, N'Golo Kanté, and Kylian Mbappé. Three of them—Dembélé, Hernandez, and Mbappé—also featured in the runner-up campaign at Qatar 2022, giving Les Bleus significant experience in high-stakes matches.

Dembélé, who won the Best FIFA Men's Player award in 2025, has played in 11 World Cup matches but has yet to score. Hernandez started every match at Russia 2018, as did Kanté, who missed the 2022 tournament due to injury. Mbappé, meanwhile, has scored an astounding 12 goals in 14 matches across the last two World Cups.

Argentina: 17 returning champions

Argentina, the reigning champion, has the highest number of returning players from any World Cup-winning squad this century. Seventeen players from the 2022 title-winning team are back for 2026, led by Lionel Messi, who scored seven goals and played every minute in Qatar. Other key returnees include defenders Nicolás Otamendi and Emiliano Martínez, who also played every match.

Julian Álvarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Nahuel Molina, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, and Cristian Romero also featured in all seven matches during Argentina's third World Cup-winning campaign. The full list of returning Argentine champions includes: Thiago Almada, Julian Álvarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Emiliano Martínez, Lautaro Martínez, Lisandro Martínez, Lionel Messi, Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolás Otamendi, Exequiel Palacios, Leandro Paredes, Cristian Romero, Gerónimo Rulli, and Nicolás Tagliafico.