Not sure if it has been posted but looking at the older players for this WC, I just saw this online.... There are 18 players confirmed to be 38 and older at the 2026 World Cup. Of these, 7 players are 40 or over, 4 are 39 years old, and 7 are 38 years old. The breakdown of the most notable age-defying veterans on the official 2026 squads: Key veterans include over-40 players like Craig Gordon, Cristiano Ronaldo, Guillermo Ochoa, Luka Modric, Edin Dzeko, Manuel Neuer, and Vozinha. Players aged 39 include Fernando Muslera, Yuto Nagatomo, Hernan Galindez, and Mahdy Soliman, while those turning 38 include Lionel Messi, Tim Ream, Weverton, Alberto Quintero, Johny Placide, Nicolas Otamendi, and Gatito Fernandez. The oldest player is Scottish GK Craig Gordon will be 43 years and 162 days old when the tournament kicks off. Other than maybe Dino Zoff, Roger Milla and a few others over the years, I can't remember this many older players at a single World Cup tournament. In other news.....
And to think that he and Dentsu together almost became San José’s Investor/Operator. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
Yes, sorry. Paraguay, not Panama. And I think that Paraguay will be tougher than Australia. But I really think we finish first. And we need to! Finishing second would be like running face first into a buzz saw. Go USA!!
The wait is almost over… ⏳One week to go until the biggest-ever @FIFAWorldCup kicks off! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/sgBnih8nMs— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 4, 2026 GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
Lionel Messi saying goodbye to his Miami housemates before departing for Argentina’s World Cup base camp in Kansas City. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
We got big balls. 🇺🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/9l1wjG4C5B— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) June 4, 2026 GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
:vomitemoji That’s reserved for Diego Luna, Poch’s description of the guy he left off the team and notified with a form email. It’s not for corporate shill / grifters.
“San Jose Earthquakes Announce El Camino Health as Presenting Partner of Soccer Celebration; Togethering™ Zone to Open June 15” (SJEarthquakes.com - Thursday, 6/4/26) GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
One #FIFAWorldCup, two generations 😮 pic.twitter.com/aFE5bCbnKs— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 4, 2026 GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
“FIFA to debut fan-centric pre-match ceremony at FIFA World Cup 2026™” (FIFA.com - Thursday, 6/4/26) GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
“FIFA bans vuvuzelas from World Cup stadiums” (Reuters.com - Thursday, 6/4/26) A vendors plays Vuvuzelas while people in Abidjan are getting excited as Ivory Coast gears up to host the Africa Cup of Nations which begins on Saturday in Abidjan, Ivory Coast January 10, 2024. (REUTERS/Luc Gnago/ File Photo) GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
I'm wondering if at the time, Alan Rothenberg and Dentsu did in fact get together to buy the Quakes if things will have been different? Looking back, will they have allowed AEG to steel LAndy free of charge , keep the team in town and eventually build a stadium?
My guess is that had Alan Rothenberg and Dentsu been able to somehow ride out the 1998 Asian Stock Market crash relatively intact and became the Earthquakes’ Investor/Operator, that they would’ve made sure that the roster, front office, eventual new facilities, etc. would’ve been solid enough that AEG wouldn’t have been needed to be asked to help co-run the team as SVS&E ended up needing to in 2002 because of parent company San Jose Sharks’ on-ice and off-ice problems at that time. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
Yep, it’s exactly because the teams playing in the SF Bay Area are the “dregs” of the tournament (apologies to Jordan etc., but it’s true). Even though the local news has reports about how the Bay Area is preparing for the World Cup, I think it will be a non-event unless the sole knockout game at Levi’s has at least one elite team, or a host nation team. Does anyone know if it was a giant coincidence that SF Bay Area has the dregs for the group games, or was it planned that way?