By Levi Wolf
The 2026 World Cup will be the last for some of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Harry Kane leads the charge for England – but he’s far from alone.
The Bayern Munich forward has done it all at an international level.
He won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup. He captained England to back-to-back European Championship finals. He became the country’s all-time leading scorer.
The only thing missing is a trophy.
This summer in North America, Kane gets another shot. He’ll be 33 when the tournament kicks off. A fifth World Cup in 2030 isn’t on the cards. This is almost certainly it.
Harry Kane – England’s last hope
There’s a very real case that England cannot win this World Cup without Kane.
A very recent friendly defeat to Japan underlined it. England lost 1-0 in a game Kane missed through injury. Thomas Tuchel admitted afterwards that no team in the world has the same threat when their best player is missing. England is no different.
Since the 2018 World Cup, England have won 65% of games when Kane starts. Without him, that drops to 57%. The gap between those numbers feels bigger in practice.
The good news is that Kane has said this is the “best he’s ever felt.” He’s scored 21 goals in 13 appearances for club and country at one point this season, and hit 500 career goals in February.
Even better news for the Three Lions is his interest in participating in the 2028 Euros; whether he’ll push himself to the next World Cup remains to be decided.
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Cristiano Ronaldo – One last shot at the trophy
Ronaldo has already confirmed that this year is his last World Cup.
He’ll be 41 when the tournament begins – and it marks his sixth consecutive appearance spanning two decades since his debut in Germany 2006.
He has scored at every World Cup he’s appeared in and holds the record as the all-time leading international goalscorer.
After winning the Champions League five times, the Euros in 2016 and having five Ballon d’Ors, the only major trophy he is missing is the World Cup.
This year’s run hasn’t been without challenges. Ronaldo received his first senior red card when Portugal faced Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers.
VAR determined that his elbow made contact with the back of Dara O’Shea’s head, upgrading the original caution to a straight red.
He served a one-game ban against Armenia, with the remaining two games suspended on probation – meaning he’ll be available from Portugal’s first match at the tournament.
Portugal has the squad to go far this year, but whether that’s enough to go all the way is another question.
Lionel Messi – A champion’s encore?
Messi arrives in North America as the defending world champion. He’ll be 39 during this tournament.
His situation differs from Ronaldo’s. He “completed” football during Qatar’s 2022 games. This is less about chasing something and more about having another go in the game he loves.
He’s been honest about his participation, recently saying that he’ll only be there if he feels he can give it his all; any less, and he’d rather stay home.
Argentina are among the favourites to go back-to-back, and with a settled squad and a proven coach in Scaloni, the infrastructure is there.
Messi just needs to stay fit. When he’s been at Inter Miami this season, he’s looked every bit the player he always was.
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Luka Modrić – The last of a generation
Modrić turned 40 in September 2025. He also left Real Madrid last summer to join AC Milan.
He led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final and the semi-finals in 2022 – something that would have seemed fanciful for a nation of under four million people.
He is, by some distance, the greatest player Croatia has ever produced, managing to compete against Messi and Ronaldo for the Ballon d’Or.
The golden generation around him has largely gone, and while a true replacement is an impossible feat, watching Modrić orchestrate the game from midfield remains a reminder of just how rare his talent is.
Others are taking their bow
They aren’t the only ones. Mohamed Salah, 33, gets his second World Cup appearance with Egypt.
Kevin De Bruyne leads Belgium’s golden generation one final time – a group that promised so much and only peaked third in Russia.
Not everyone gets a farewell. Robert Lewandowski, Poland’s all-time top scorer with 89 international goals, was eliminated in the European playoffs – denied even the chance to bow out on the biggest stage.
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A summer to remember
The 2026 World Cup is the biggest in history, with forty-eight teams across three host nations, with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Beyond all the goals and glory, this World Cup offers something no future edition can replicate.
It may be the last time this particular generation of players – Messi, Ronaldo, Modric, Kane – share the same stage.
For fans, that’s a rare and precious thing. Whatever happens on the pitch, this is a summer to watch closely. You won’t get another one like it.
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