The 2026 World Cup is on the horizon, and the 48 nations that will be competing have now named their 26-man player squads.

Euro 2024 champions Spain have a plethora of world-class players in their ranks and are the favourites to lift the trophy in July. The likes of France, England, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil will also fancy their chances of going all the way.

In total, 1248 footballers will take part in this year’s tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The 23 clubs that will have the most players at the 2026 World Cup have now been revealed by the Athletic.

9 Players

Six teams have nine players going to the World Cup. That includes Egyptian club, Al-Ahly. Eight of their players will be representing Egypt, while Youssef Belammari has been named in Morocco’s squad.

Saudi Arabian sides Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr both have nine players going to this summer’s tournament. Franck Kessie (Ivory Coast) and Edouard Mendy (Senegal) are Al-Ahli’s most notable representatives, while Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo will have his last opportunity to become a world champion with Portugal.

Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez will be hoping to inspire Argentina to World Cup glory once more, while Sunderland will have nine players at the tournament, including Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) and Robin Roefs (Netherlands).

Nine players from Flamengo will also take part, including former Premier League stars Lucas Paqueta and Danilo.

10 Players

Five sides have 10 players going to the World Cup, including Real Madrid. Remarkably, there are zero Los Blanco players in Spain’s World Cup squad. The likes of Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Jr have been called up by England, Belgium and Brazil respectively.

Of Czechia’s 26-man squad, 10 players represent Slavia Prague at club level, including David Zima, Lukas Provod and Tomas Chory.

USA will be hoping that Christian Pulisic can work his magic in front of their own fans. Nine other AC Milan players will play at the tournament, including France goalkeeper Mike Maignan and Portuguese winger Rafael Leao.

Turkish giants Fenerbahce also have 10 players at the tournament, including N’Golo Kante and Ederson, as do Dutch champions PSV.

11-12 Players

Three teams have 11 players going to the World Cup: Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray and Liverpool.

Egypt’s hopes rest solely on Mohamed Salah, who is leaving the Reds this summer. Liverpool have 10 other players competing, including Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Alisson Becker (Brazil), Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina) and Alexander Isak (Sweden). Not a single Liverpool player has been called up to England’s squad, though, with Curtis Jones missing out.

Manchester United have 12 players going to the World Cup, including Bruno Fernandes, as do Crystal Palace. The fact that the Eagles have so many players at the tournament highlights their impressive rise in recent years.

Atletico Madrid also have 12 players, with Marcos Llorente, Álex Baena and Marc Pubill featuring in the Spain squad.

15+ Players

Spain have called up seven Barcelona players, including Ballon d’Or contender Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Gavi. Eight of their players will feature for other nations.

The 2026 Champions League finalists, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, both have 16 players at this summer’s tournaments. Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke will turn out for England, while Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi are three of PSG’s representatives.

18 Bayern Munich players are going to the World Cup. Harry Kane is hoping to fire England to World Cup glory, Michael Olise has been named in the France squad and Manuel Neuer, now 40, will be the man between the sticks for Germany.

The club with the most players going to the World Cup is Manchester City. 19 of their players have been called up, including Erling Haaland (Norway), Rayan Cherki (France), Rodri (Spain), Jeremy Doku (Belgium) and Marc Guehi (England).

With the 2026 NBA Finals tipping off tonight, we asked AI to name the 10 best players set to feature in the potential seven-game series.

The San Antonio Spurs take on the New York Knicks in San Antonio in the first game out of a possible seven, to see who will take home the Larry O’Brian Championship trophy.

So, without further ado, here are the 10 best players in the 2026 NBA Finals, according to AI.

10

Dylan Harper

San Antonio Spurs

The first name churned out by AI is Dylan Harper. Despite being in his maiden NBA season, the shooting guard has shown experience well beyond his age. The 20-year-old has already had a number of outstanding performances over the postseason, with the standout being in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when the second pick in this year’s draft scored 24 points.

9

Devin Vassell

San Antonio Spurs

Vassell isn’t quite the exciting prospect he was two years ago, when he was averaging 19.5 points per game and looked like a future All-Star. Despite his shine dulling slightly, he still looks like a solid addition to a championship contender. He averaged 13.9 points per game this season, and could play an important part in these finals.

8

Josh Hart

New York Knicks

The first New York Knicks player on this list is Josh Hart. The small forward isn’t a prolific scorer, despite hitting 26 points in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but what he offers elsewhere on the court means he is a vital part of the Knicks squad. His all-action style means he is a nightmare for other teams, and will make an impact in these finals.

7

Mikal Bridges

New York Knicks

At number seven, AI has Mikal Bridges. The 29-year-old has been with the Knicks since 2024, and is known as the NBA’s ultimate iron man, because of the fact he has never missed a game in his NBA career. The small forward has reached the NBA Finals before, when he was a part of the Phoenix Suns’ 2021 collapse. They went 2-0 up in the seven-game series, but ended up losing 4-2. He returns to the finals this time hoping for a better outcome.

6

OG Anunoby

New York Knicks

This season’s finals have indicated that a shift in defensive styles has taken place, with both teams focusing on wing defenders, but it seems that OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks is the best about. The Brit has shown he is a very capable scorer in these playoffs, averaging 19.7 in the postseason, and has been insatiable for the 3-point line.

5

De’Aaron Fox

San Antonio Spurs

Despite only being 28 years old, De’Aaron Fox is seen as one of the veterans of this young San Antonio Spurs side. The guard is lightning quick in transition, and despite the Spurs progressing through the postseason without him, there is no doubt they are a stronger team with him on the court. ‘Swipa’ was an All-Star player this season, and will be hoping to lead the Spurs all this way in his debut season.

4

Stephon Castle

San Antonio Spurs

Stephon Castle was one of the most sought-after players when Spurs drafted him in 2024. Since then, the point guard’s stock has continued to rise. The former UConn guard won the national championship in college, and it seems he has translated that winning mentality to the NBA.

3

Karl-Anthony Towns

New York Knicks

Karl-Anthony Towns has already established himself as the best 3-point shooting big man in the league. ‘KAT’ has hit 1,230 shots from deep since being drafted first in 2015. In nine years at the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 30-year-old never reached the NBA Finals, but despite this, he is a six-time NBA All-Star, and will be hugely influential as the Knicks look to get the better of the Spurs.

2

Jalen Brunson

New York Knicks

In at number two, AI has Jalen Brunson. The Knicks point guard has spent most of his basketball career being overlooked. He was a second round draft by the Dallas Mavericks, but it wasn’t until his switch to New York in 2022 that people started paying attention. He has developed into one of the best point guards in the NBA, and is the offensive engine. He, alongside Hart and Bridges, are known as the Nova Knicks, after the three won titles together at Villanova, and will all be vital if the Knicks are to go all the way this season.

1

Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio Spurs

The obvious choice for number one is the San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. The Frenchman is one of the biggest names in the NBA after entering the league as one of the most highly-rated prospects ever. The 22-year-old is undoubtedly the best defensive player in the division, leading the league in blocks per game since his debut in 2023. Despite his seven-foot-four frame, the Alien can dribble like a point guard, as well as hit jump shots and dunk. The future is bright for Wembanyama, and whether he is able to help the Spurs cross the line this time or not, it certainly won’t be long before the accolades come rolling in.

With WWE already confirming that WrestleMania 43 will be the first held outside of North America in the company’s history, they are reportedly already developing plans for the card.

The 2027 edition of the flagship event will take place in Saudi Arabia to help celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the first Saudi state. But, despite still being 10 months away, WWE’s creative team are already working on possible storylines and matches.

According to Self Made Pro, WWE has a couple of names in the pipeline to take on heavyweight champion Roman Reigns at The Showcase of the Immortals next year, and both names will seriously excite fans.

Roman Reigns’ Plans For WrestleMania 43

Reporting on the Self Made Sessions podcast, they said: “So I talked to someone in WWE, right? There’s a lot of moving pieces right now, and they’re still unclear, at least as far as I’m aware, as far as the people I spoke to are aware, I should say.

Talk of a match-up involving Reigns and The Rock has been suggested for a number of years now, and nearly came to fruition at WrestleMania 40.

Reports emerged earlier this year that WWE officials were working with their Saudi counterparts to try and persuade The People’s Champion to take part at WrestleMania 43. The Rock has revealed that negotiations were ongoing, but he stopped at confirming anything concrete.

Initial reports have indicated that the Moana actor has been offered “the largest offer ever made for someone to do a pro-wrestling show.”

The Roman Reigns versus The Rock match-up would be a fun event for fans of all ages to see. However, if WWE wants to create sustainable storylines, they may well want to look at Oba Femi.

Since making his big breakthrough at the Royal Rumble in January, The Ruler has shown his worth, despite a loss to Brock Lesnar at Clash in Italy, and is surely a big part of WWE’s future.

There is some history between the Original Tribal Chief and Oba Femi too, which helps. The latter called out the heavyweight champion after his win over Lesnar at WrestleMania 42. After beating The Beast Incarnate in April, Femi said: “By the end of the year, the OTC (Original Tribal Chief) can get some.”

Roman Reigns acknowledged this and responded that same night. He said he would keep an eye on the big Nigerian through the summer and see how he does before they meet in the ring.

With the event set to take place in the Middle East, both WWE and Saudi officials will be looking to include The Rock to make as much noise as possible and help create a buzz. However, for a more natural storyline, they should be looking at Oba Femi if his progression continues at this rate.