According to Soccer Laduma, all 48 nations have now locked in their final squads, setting the stage for a tournament stacked with global superstars, rising talents and a unique generational twist.
At the top of the bill, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi return with history in their sights as they chase a second World Cup crown, while Vinícius Júnior, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane remain locked in pursuit of that elusive first triumph.
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But beyond the headline names, a quieter storyline stands out. Of the 1,248 players selected for the tournament, 11 will step into the same arena their fathers once graced at a FIFA World Cup. FIFA records show 27 father-and-son combinations have featured in World Cup history, with nine more being added in 2026 alone.
Marcus Thuram and Giovanni Reyna already belong to that exclusive club, both having featured at the 2022 edition, but several fresh names are now joining the lineage.
Among those continuing the family tradition are Justin Kluivert (son of Patrick Kluivert), Angus Gunn (son of Bryan Gunn), Luca Zidane (son of Zinedine Zidane), Giuliano Simeone (son of Diego Simeone), Kristian Thorstvedt (son of Erik Thorstvedt) and Lee Taeseok (son of Lee Eulyong).
Erling Haaland leads the spotlight group. The Norway striker is finally set for his World Cup debut, decades after his father Alf-Inge Haaland represented Norway at the 1994 tournament.
In the United States squad, Sebastian Berhalter continues the family script. His father, Gregg Berhalter, played at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and later moved into coaching, where he worked with Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
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Portugal’s Francisco Conceição also steps onto the World Cup stage for the first time, linking up with Cristiano Ronaldo in the same squad. His father, Sérgio Conceição, featured for Portugal at the 2002 tournament.
There is a poetic overlap in their histories. Ronaldo and Sérgio Conceição never played together for Portugal, but their careers briefly collided at club level in 2002, when a young Ronaldo made his Sporting CP debut against Inter Milan, where Conceição was on the pitch.
A new generation arrives, but the echoes of the past are impossible to ignore.
Photo: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
