An incredible XI of World Cup stars entering the final year of their contract in 2026 | OneFootball

The World Cup is just around the corner and for the players involved, it’ll be all they’ll be thinking about for the next few weeks.

But some will have other things on the back of their mind, with futures at club level still set to be resolved. We’ve picked out a lineup of players going to the World Cup whose contracts will be entering their final year in July.

Could it be the right time for them to secure a move? Or could a strong World Cup boost their chances of getting a lucrative contract extension?

GK: Thibaut Courtois

One of the flashpoints of Jose Mourinho’s original spell with Real Madrid was his fallout with their starting goalkeeper, Iker Casillas.

With Mourinho set for a Madrid return, we can’t see history repeating itself with Courtois.

In fact, they’ve worked together before at Chelsea. And with 17 clean sheets this season, Courtois remains one of the highest-rated goalkeepers in Europe.

Madrid usually only offer one-year contracts to players over 30 – a policy they broke to renew Courtois’ deal last year – so he may have to be patient for updates on his future.

For now, it’s all about his duties with Belgium. At the age of 34, this could be his fourth and final World Cup.

RB: Marcos Llorente

Llorente has completed his transition from midfielder to right-back over the past couple of seasons.

He played 49 times for Atletico Madrid this term, including 14 appearances on their run to the Champions League semi-finals.

His only World Cup appearance for Spain was at the last edition in Qatar, after which he faded from the international scene for a bit.

But the 31-year-old has worked his way back into the picture with his efforts this season and will be competing with Pedro Porro and Eric Garcia for gametime at right-back.

At club level, reports have tipped Atleti to offer him one last contract renewal before his career begins to wind down.

CB: Virgil van Dijk

Van Dijk’s contract was a huge topic for Liverpool while they were on course to winning the Premier League in 2024-25.

The defender is now halfway through the two-year extension he ended up signing.

Should he stay at Liverpool as expected, he’ll be lining up alongside a new centre-back partner after Ibrahima Konate’s decision to leave.

At his age, you’d imagine any talk of another new deal for Van Dijk will be pushed farther down the line, long after he captains the Netherlands at the World Cup.

CB: Lisandro Martinez

Part of the Argentina squad looking to successfully defend their World Cup title, Martinez has faced some injury setbacks over the past couple of years but remains a key player for Manchester United when fit.

United do have an option to extend his contract by a year into 2028, which has been cited by the Manchester Evening News as the most likely course of action, but his long-term future is still up in the air.

A summer sale looks unlikely for the left-footed centre-back.

LB: Alex Grimaldo

Part of Xabi Alonso’s all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen side a couple of years ago, Grimaldo is one of the few players there to have maintained those levels of form.

With 14 goals and 12 assists this season – from left wing-back, let’s not forget – the Spaniard has hit form at the right time.

It might not be enough for him to start over Marc Cucurella at the World Cup, but it should have put the 30-year-old in the shop window.

Grimaldo has recently reiterated his desire for a move to Spain’s top flight, which he’s actually never played in after only making it to the B team for Barcelona before moving on to Benfica and then Leverkusen.

“I’ve always said it: I want to return to La Liga,” he said. “That’s one of my goals. I’m very happy at Bayer Leverkusen, but I’ve always said that I want to return to La Liga, and some day I will.”

CM: Rodri

“With a World Cup ahead, my responsibility is to stay focused,” Rodri said recently. “Anything related to my future will wait until after the World Cup.”

At his last international tournament, Euro 2024, the Spain midfielder played himself into Ballon d’Or territory.

He won’t be in that conversation this time around, even if Spain win the World Cup, after an injury-hit season with Manchester City.

But the defensive midfielder is still a player of huge appeal and definitely one to watch in the transfer window, with Real Madrid keen on an audacious move.

“I love that player, he’s a fantastic player and he’s the type of player Real Madrid should have and who should be playing for them,” insisted presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme.

“But obviously, he’s at another club (Manchester City) and we have to respect that. Rodri is the type of player who should be playing for Real Madrid.”

CM: Fabian Ruiz

A back-to-back Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, Ruiz is expected to sign a new deal until 2029 in the French capital.

But the new contract hasn’t been announced yet and might not be until after his World Cup duties with Spain.

Ruiz was an important player when they won Euro 2024, but this will be his first World Cup.

CM: Bruno Fernandes

Fresh from a season in which he was named the best player in the Premier League, Fernandes has been in talks with United over a new deal.

His current terms expire in 2027, although there is an option to extend until 2028. United are also vulnerable to a £57m release clause this summer.

Fernandes stuck around last year despite interest from Saudi Arabia and went on to break the record for most assists in a Premier League season.

Now set for his third World Cup with Portugal, you get the sense Fernandes has unfinished business back at Old Trafford.

“Yeah, I won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup [but] what this club wants, what these fans want and what I want, myself and the team, we haven’t got that yet,” he said last month. “Until my contract expires, I’m going to try.”

FW: Vinicius Junior

Vinicius and Real Madrid still haven’t agreed on a new contract despite it being what both would prefer, after talks stalled last year.

Status seems to be the key sticking point as the battle of egos at the Bernabeu continues.

Vinicius will be hoping to send a reminder of his star quality at his second World Cup with Brazil.

Madrid-based newspaper AS ran a piece this week claiming Vinicius’ contract renewal will be “conditioned by” the World Cup, explaining how his “negotiating position […] will grow” if he has a good tournament.

Club president Florentino Perez insisted recently: “There is time [to sign an extension]. I would love for him to stay for the rest of his life. He is deeply identified with the club.

“You know who doesn’t like him? People who aren’t Real Madrid fans. If he doesn’t want to be at Madrid and wants to sign with someone else, he will be free to do so. I’m not going to force him into anything. Money will not be the most important factor – it never has been.”

FW: Harry Kane

Kane has had the season of his life with Bayern Munich, scoring 61 goals from 51 games. That’s one of the most prolific campaigns in football history.

It’s pretty good form to be taking into the World Cup for the 2018 Golden Boot winner. If England go far this summer, Kane could be in with a strong chance of the Ballon d’Or.

And he won’t be thinking about his Bayern future while captaining his country.

He said in May: “It’s not the time to talk about that now, but there’s no panic. We wanted to hold conversations until the end of the season and we’ve got a World Cup still to play. But everyone knows how much I enjoy it here. That situation is calm.”

The 32-year-old has been tipped for a Premier League return one day, but Bayern will be standing firm if anyone tries to prise him away.

FW: Cristiano Ronaldo

This is it. Ronaldo’s last chance – we assume – to win a World Cup.

For all of his career, Ronaldo has been a player hell-bent on winning as many of the big prizes as possible.

Portugal are among the favourites this year and he’ll no doubt be fixated on trying to win the World Cup this summer.

Beyond then, it remains to be seen what happens at club level. He grew frustrated at Al-Nassr earlier this year, before finally winning the Saudi Pro League with them.

The 41-year-old has a €50m release clause in his contract but we can’t see anyone paying that, no matter who he is.