Manchester United are gearing up for what could be one of their most heavily represented World Cup tournaments in recent years, with several players already qualified and others on the brink of securing their place at the 2026 finals. With the competition returning to North America for the first time since 1994, anticipation is rising across the football world and United’s squad is firmly in the spotlight.
Softfootball understands that United have been closely tracking the qualification progress of their internationals, especially as the expanded 48-team format means more opportunities for representation. With many Red Devils already key figures for their national sides, next summer could see one of the club’s largest-ever contingents at a World Cup.
According to a statement shared via the club’s official X handle, the statement outlines full tournament details and highlights the United players who are expected to feature at the global showpiece.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted across three nations, the United States, Mexico and Canada for the first time in history. The US will stage the bulk of the matches, with 78 fixtures across 11 cities. Mexico becomes the first nation to host matches at three separate World Cups, while Canada joins as a debut host, staging games in Vancouver and Toronto.
Several Manchester United stars have already booked their place. Argentina qualified early after topping South America’s standings, with Lisandro Martínez returning to the national setup following knee surgery. Brazil also progressed, with Casemiro and Matheus Cunha in the mix, while Paraguay’s Diego León and Uruguay’s Manuel Ugarte will join them after finishing in CONMEBOL’s top six.
African representation also looks strong for United, as Morocco (Noussair Mazraoui) qualified with a perfect record, and Amad Diallo helped Ivory Coast complete an unbeaten campaign to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014.
United also highlighted the extensive European involvement. England dominated qualifying, winning all their matches without conceding a goal. Marcus Rashford, currently on loan at Barcelona, was called up by Thomas Tuchel, while Maguire, Mainoo, Mount and Shaw still hope to force their way into the squad.
Portugal, inspired by a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick against Armenia, also sealed qualification, with Diogo Dalot remaining a regular under Roberto Martínez. The Netherlands have qualified with Matthijs de Ligt, while Senne Lammens made his full debut for Belgium as they clinched their ticket with a 7–0 win over Liechtenstein.
According to the club, six spots remain open, with 16 European nations including Turkiye, where Altay Bayındır hopes to qualify ,entering the March play-offs. Denmark, featuring Patrick Dorgu and loanee Rasmus Hojlund, narrowly missed automatic qualification and will also enter the knockout pathway.
The two remaining World Cup places will be contested in intercontinental play-offs featuring Bolivia, DR Congo, New Caledonia, Iraq, Jamaica and Suriname. United will be monitoring these closely, as several players could still make the final cut depending on results.
The club also confirmed that the official World Cup draw takes place on Friday, 5 December, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where all competing nations will discover their group-stage opponents.
With qualification nearly complete and United’s internationals playing significant roles for their countries, the excitement around the 2026 tournament continues to grow and Manchester United look set to feature prominently on football’s biggest stage.
