The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just one month away.
National teams around the globe are starting to make crucial roster decisions for the tournament. Some nations, like Bosnia and Herzegovina, New Zealand and Sweden, have already released official 26-man squads for the Cup; others have publicized oversized “preliminary” rosters they intend to cut down in the weeks before the tournament begins.
Here are the biggest World Cup roster surprises and storylines from around the world.
Mexico: the return of Memo Ochoa
Dread him. Run from him. Mexico goalkeeper Memo Ochoa arrives all the same.
Much has changed for the Mexican national team over the past few decades, but Ochoa—the 40-year-old keeper currently plying his trade in Cyprus—has been its unfailing constant. He’s one of the most famous players in the nation’s history thanks to his spectacular performances on the World Cup stage. It was Ochoa who almost single-handedly got Mexico to the Round of 16 in 2018; it was Ochoa who stepped up to serve it in 2022.
Ochoa is one of just seven players in history to make five separate World Cup squads. He’s been called up by Mexico for every Cup since 2006, and he’s now part of coach Javier Aguirre’s preliminary roster for 2026. If Ochoa makes Aguirre’s final cut, he’ll become one of the first players in history to be selected for six separate World Cup tournaments.
Just two people—Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom began their World Cup careers alongside Ochoa in 2006 and remain active—have the chance to match his longevity. Pretty good company for one of Mexico’s best.