Friends of Liverpool
·15 June 2026
The seven Liverpool players at the 2026 World Cup

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Yahoo sportsFriends of Liverpool
·15 June 2026

As we all know, Liverpool’s squad is a mix of players from all over the world. It’s not surprising that the Reds have a strong contingent of players at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Initially there were eight players heading from Liverpool to the World Cup, however, that dropped to seven when Japanese legend Wataru Endo had to withdraw due to a set back in his recovery suffered from playing for the reds last season. As a result he announced his international retirement.
(Please note Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate are excluded, as although they will feature at the tournament, all three players will leave the club when their contracts expire later this summer)

Voltmetro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Liverpool number one is also the Selecao number one, and started Brazil’s opening game of the tournament, a 1-1 draw with 2022 semi-finalists Morocco.
The veteran stopper made his international debut in 2015 and has won 79 caps for the Selecao. The 33-year-old could play a highly crucial role for Carlo Ancelotti’s team this summer.

Ailura, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT, via Wikimedia Commons
Liverpool’s man mountain of a centre-back is the main man in the Netherlands backline and captains his national team. Not only is he a key part of the team’s defence.
He can also contribute in attack, as he proved in his team’s 2-2 draw against Japan in their opening game by heading the Oranje into a 2-1 lead. The goal was Van Dijk’s 11th of the season for both club and country.
Van Dijk made his international debut the same year as Alisson and has earned 93 caps for his national team, while scoring 13 times.

Another of the Reds’ Dutch contingent, Gakpo, looked lively during the Oranje’s 2-2 draw with Japan. He caused the Samurai Warriors some defensive headaches before being replaced by Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey in the 85th minute.
The 27-year-old’s international career started in 2021 when he made his Netherlands debut at Euro2020 (the tournament had been delayed a year due to the pandemic), coming on as a substitute against North Macedonia for Frenkie de Jong in the 79th minute.
He has earned 51 caps during his international career, scoring 21 goals for the Oranje.

Timmy96, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The midfielder is the third member of the Reds squad representing the Netherlands at the World Cup 2026. Gravenberch was a key player for the Dutch during their opener against Japan, picking up assists for both of the Oranje’s goals.
Gravenberch made his international debut on 24th March 2021 against Turkey in a World Cup 2022 qualifier, and has now made 28 appearances for the Dutch national team, scoring just once.

Pyaet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The attacking midfielder endured a slightly underwhelming debut campaign with the Reds. However, he will be hoping to build on the assist he picked up in Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of minnows Curacao in their World Cup opener.
Like some of his Reds’ teammates on our list, Wirtz made his international debut in 2021, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 World Cup 2022 qualifying win over Liechtenstein.

Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Reds midfield schemer will be looking for a repeat this summer of four years ago, when he helped La Albiceleste to win the World Cup with a penalty shootout victory over France.
Mac Allister is expected to start in Argentina’s 2026 World Cup opener against Algeria in the early hours of Wednesday morning. It would be his 48th appearance for the South American giants, and he will be looking to add to his six goals and three assists for his national team.

Mikael Hervestad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The forward may not have enjoyed a debut season to remember for Liverpool, but he did enjoy Sweden’s opening game 5-1 victory over Tunisia in Monterrey. Not only did Isak get on the scoresheet, but he also produced two assists for the Scandinavians’ emphatic victory.
The former Newcastle forward was rewarded for his performance with the Player of the Match award.
Isak has a respectable strike rate for Sweden, scoring 18 goals in 59 international appearances. The 26-year-old will be looking to continue in the same positive vein for the rest of the tournament.
A successful tournament with Sweden will only be good for his confidence and hopefully benefit Liverpool next season.







































