Many of you will roll your eyes at this headline and say something like: “Back in our day we had Baggio, Batistuta, Zidane, Ronaldo — these modern ‘Viniciuses’ cannot compare.” Or you might think of that video from the 2006 World Cup, France vs Brazil, where three current Ballon d’Or winners and one future one were on the pitch together.

All that is true, but we are asking you to tweak your perspective and look at the 2026 World Cup from the future. Imagine it as nostalgia, when you will grumble about having to get up in the morning to see Lamine Yamal’s incredible tricks, Lionel Messi’s last tango, Cristiano Ronaldo’s historic goals, Erling Haaland dragging Norway towards victories, Harry Kane trying to bring football home, and a star‑studded France chasing a third consecutive final.

Right now, we can only imagine what storylines the World Cup will give us, but the cast of leading characters cannot fail to impress.

We have superstars from four different decades: Ronaldo, Messi, Luka Modric, Guillermo Ochoa and Manuel Neuer from the 2000s. Neymar, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, N’Golo Kante, Mohamed Salah, Bernardo Silva and Kane from the 2010s. Kylian Mbappe, Haaland, Rodri, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Ousmane Dembele — those who have been making history in recent years. Yamal, Arda Guler, Joao Neves, Nico Paz, Gilberto Mora and Desire Doue — the players who may define football over the next 10 years. And all of this under another Shakira hit, because she has won ‘her’ World Cup again.

You can add names, shuffle the order and eras, but it is hard to argue that in terms of star power this World Cup surpasses all previous ones. We have almost every Ballon d’Or winner of the past 18 years except one (Karim Benzema). In other words, 17 Ballons d’Or will be present at the tournament — even if most of them belong to two players. This once again highlights how epochal this tournament is as a meeting of generations.

If you want a comparison, imagine a 37‑year‑old Pele turning up at the 1978 World Cup, where Michel Platini and Zico are already there, and meeting a 17‑year‑old Diego Maradona, a 31‑year‑old Johan Cruyff and a 32‑year‑old Franz Beckenbauer. And Eusebio, at 36, arriving with Portugal.

Of course, today that sounds like an alternate‑reality film script, but in 20 years’ time the fact that Yamal and Ochoa shared a tournament may seem just as surprising.

We still take the presence of Messi and Ronaldo at major tournaments for granted, but this is the last chance for other players to challenge these greats while they are still on the pitch.

The World Cup’s format still raises many questions, because alongside the top stars there will be plenty of teams featuring players who, 20 years ago, would not have been allowed near a World Cup match even as ballboys. But FIFA has already almost achieved one of its aims — to gather all the best in one place. Perhaps in time Gianni Infantino will dream up a special rule just for Italy, letting them in without qualifying, like at Eurovision. For now, though, everyone is here.

It feels as if Hollywood producers have decided to cram in cameos from every Oscar‑winning actor. The main thing is that the director does not ruin everything with his interference.