The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is just around the corner. Kicking off on June 11th with Mexico hosting South Africa, the expanded tournament will run until the final on July 19th.
As expected, Anfield will be heavily represented on the world stage. Here is a breakdown of the Liverpool players (and a few summer transfer arrivals) booking their tickets, fighting for a spot, or aiming for redemption.
Confirmed & preliminary call-ups
🇦🇷 Argentina: Mac Allister aims for back-to-back glory
Alexis Mac Allister has been named in Argentina’s preliminary 55-man squad. The midfielder was a crucial cog in the 2022 winning machine, famously registering a goal and an assist across six games. His tactical versatility was the secret weapon in 1986, and he remains a lock for the final tournament squad.
🇧🇷 Brazil: Alisson’s race for fitness
Despite missing the last 10 games for Liverpool, Alisson Becker is expected to return for the final game of the Premier League season against Brentford. With 76 caps and 5 World Cup clean sheets under his belt, he remains Brazil’s undisputed number one. He will also reunite with former Red Fabinho in the Seleção camp.
🇫🇷 France: Konaté’s quest for redemption
Ibrahima Konaté is a mainstay for Les Bleus with 27 appearances since moving to Merseyside. Having tasted bitter defeat in the 2022 final where he was subbed on in extra time after a stellar semi-final performance against Morocco Konaté will be hungry to go one step further.
🏴 Scotland: Captain Robertson makes history
Andy Robertson will captain Scotland in their first World Cup appearance since 1996. The talismanic left-back has 92 caps and has been virtually ever-present for his country, playing all but one minute of their Euro 2021 and 2024 campaigns.
🇸🇪 Sweden: Isak’s disappointing year saved by Gyokeres
Alexander Isak’s debut season at Liverpool has been plagued by poor form and a major injury during crucial qualifying windows. He failed to score in his four qualifying appearances, forcing Sweden to rely on Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres, whose playoff winner punched Sweden’s ticket to North America. Isak will be desperate to use the tournament to reset.
🇯🇵 Japan: Endo anchors the blue samurai
Wataru Endō is locked in for Japan. The tireless midfielder will anchor his national team’s engine room just as he does for Liverpool.
Squads awaiting announcement
Several nations have yet to finalize their squads, but a host of Liverpool players remain firmly in contention
| Country | Locked In / Highly Eligible Liverpool Players |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | Mohamed Salah |
| 🏴 England | Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, Rio Ngumoha |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | Florian Wirtz |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Virgil van Dijk, Jeremie Frimpong, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo |
ReadLiverpoolFC Verdict
Seeing this many Liverpool players on the world stage is a testament to the world-class depth of this squad. Having World Cup winners like Mac Allister and elite leaders like Robertson and Van Dijk represents the club beautifully.
However, from a purely selfish Anfield perspective, this tournament brings immense anxiety. The mid-summer schedule means a massively disrupted pre-season. For players like Alisson and Isak who have struggled heavily with fitness over the past year the intense heat and travel of a North American summer is a massive gamble.
The dream scenario: Florian Wirtz announces himself as a global superstar, and everyone returns to the AXA Training Centre in late July with a clean bill of health.
