Leeds United links at the World Cup, Marcelo Bielsa, Raphinha and England rival to watch | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup kicks off tonight across the USA, Canada and Mexico, with plenty for Leeds United fans to watch.

According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, four Leeds players are involved, Gabriel Gudmundsson with Sweden, Ao Tanaka with Japan, Brenden Aaronson with the USA and Noah Okafor with Switzerland. Beyond those fixtures, there are more Elland Road links to follow.

Marcelo Bielsa leads Uruguay after taking charge in May 2023. He beat Argentina and Brazil in successive games, a first since 1959, but results then dipped, including a 5-1 loss to the USA last November. After a rift with Luis Suarez, he said he would see out the World Cup.

Raphinha debuted for Brazil in 2021 after excelling at Leeds and is now a regular after a £55million move to Barcelona. He has overcome a hamstring injury and, under Carlo Ancelotti, links with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo. This is his second World Cup, with Brazil favourites to progress from Group C.

Former Leeds head coach Thomas Christiansen has guided Panama to their second World Cup after taking charge in July 2020. They have climbed from 78th to 33rd in FIFA’s rankings, and Norwich City’s Jose Cordoba is the only UK-based player. Panama lost all three games in 2018 and now target first points in Group L against Croatia, Ghana and England.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk