The 13 heroes and villains who will define this World Cup ...Middle East

The first 48-team World Cup promises to be historic in many ways. There will be tears and there will be celebrations. There will be Hollywood endings and there will be larger-than-life stories.

The greatest show on Earth is heading to North America, and we’ve divvied out the roles accordingly.

So, who will be the 2026 World Cup’s valiant heroes and most notorious villains?

Villain: Donald Trump

It is impossible for football and politics to remain separate entities on an ordinary day, yet they will be intertwined this tournament more than at any other.

Almost every controversy leading up to this World Cup, and the many that will undoubtedly happen during and after it, can be pinned squarely on the shoulders of Donald Trump.

The US President managed to overshadow last year’s rejigged Club World Cup in a quite literal sense when he took centre-stage for Chelsea’s trophy celebrations.

That largely elicited a mere shrug of the shoulders because of the competition’s lack of prestige, but becoming the main character – or rather the antagonist – of the esteemed international edition cannot stand. Yet, somehow it will.

Villain: Gianni Infantino

Trump’s chokehold on this tournament is only this tight because Fifa chief Gianni Infantino has allowed it. The two presidents have tried their hardest to bring the game into disrepute long before a ball has even been kicked this summer.

Infantino’s cronyism in literally making up the Fifa Peace Prize to hand to a warmonger in Trump was a clear message that nothing was off limits between the pair.

A dangerous precedent has been set and we may not have seen the worst of it yet.

Hero: Dick Advocaat

Let’s lighten the mood, shall we?

One of the more heartwarming stories heading into the World Cup revolves around 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, the journeyman of all journeymen and head coach of minnows Curacao.

This is Advocaat’s 29th different spell in charge of a football team, having started out at amateur Dutch side Door Samenwerking Verkregen Pijnacker (DSVP) in the 1980s. This will be his third World Cup after previous stints with his native Netherlands (1994) and latterly South Korea (2006), but he has saved arguably the best of his many, many tales until last.

Advocaat helped Curacao secure their first-ever qualification to a World Cup in November 2025, pipping Concacaf favourites Jamaica to an automatic spot in the tournament, but stepped down due to the ill health of his daughter.

However, her situation improved and Advocaat returned to the job last month. He is set to become the oldest manager in World Cup history.

Hero: Carlo Ancelotti

Another of football’s great elder statesmen, Carlo Ancelotti could end up being Brazil’s X-factor for the month ahead. Since their last victory in 2002, the Selecao have reached the semi-final stage of the World Cup only once – and that ended in their infamous 7-1 mauling by Germany at home in 2014.

Ancelotti, the fourth foreign coach of the Brazil national team and only the second to have overseen more than two matches, is hoping his famous man-management will inspire a great nation short of recent success and scarred by their most recent endeavours.

Universally beloved, Ancelotti may even take the crown as the greatest manager of all time if he can get a record-extending sixth star on those famous yellow shirts.

Villain: Neymar

Brandishing Neymar with the “villain” tag may be a tad harsh. He isn’t actually planning to raise tyranny like some of the others on this list threaten to. Rather, the once terrifyingly trickster could be a distracting sideshow to what should be Brazil’s main-event cast.

Neymar’s superpowers have all but completely diminished since he last played at a World Cup, setting Qatar alight with a stunning goal in an eventual quarter-final defeat to Croatia in 2022. Since then, he has left Paris Saint-Germain for Saudi side Al-Hilal, played only seven games for them either side of his knee imploding, and returned to boyhood club Santos for a spell that has brought as many lowlights as highlights.

In typical Neymar fashion, the 34-year-old is unfit days out from the tournament opener.

Villain: Cristiano Ronaldo

However, if we’re going to seriously talk about star names who could dampen their team’s prospects, then we cannot look beyond Cristiano Ronaldo.

Likened to The Boys’ antihero Homelander for a perceived selfishness and megalomania, Ronaldo ought to be entering this tournament as a sporting marvel. Somehow, he has managed to flip the narrative and take the shine off what is, on paper, a promising Portugal team for a third-successive tournament.

The supposed GOAT’s inability to do anything aside from hang around the penalty spot and wait for pinpoint crosses makes the jobs of the other ten players on his team all the more difficult.

Instead, the future should be now for Portugal, who boast arguably the international game’s best midfield in Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes.

Hero: Rayan Cherki

At the other end of the spectrum, Rayan Cherki became the embodiment of anti-modern football during his first season at Manchester City.

In a Premier League campaign dominated by dark arts and set pieces, the mercurial attacker brought back the joy this sport was built on, conjuring magic with both feet for the benefit of himself and his teammates.

Villain: Kylian Mbappe

In any case, Cherki’s participation could be at the discretion of captain Kylian Mbappe, who supposedly made clear his ideal starting front line some months ago with an Instagram post depicting himself alongside Ousmane Dembele and Marcus Thuram.

The case of Mbappe is unique, with his approval rating among many fans at an all-time low after failing to win a trophy during his second season at Real Madrid while former club PSG have become back-to-back European champions since he departed. Amid all the chaos in the Bernabeu dressing room, Mbappe always appears to be at the centre of the storm.

However, Mbappe is already a World Cup legend, starring in France’s 2018 triumph before singlehandedly willing them to penalties in the 2022 final against Argentina.

This summer’s tournament could provide this generational talent the stage upon which to turn from heel to face again.

Hero: Scott McTominay

Where Mbappe’s PR has taken a battering in the last 18 months, Scott McTominay’s has blossomed out of control. Having stock in the midfielder in 2024 would have been the equivalent of owning Bitcoin in 2013.

McTominay has conquered Italy with Napoli and is more famous now than he ever was at Manchester United. Back home in Scotland, he is on the cusp of legend, with his overhead kick which helped secure a first World Cup berth since 1998 already immortalised on new £20 notes.

Villain: Harry Kane pub chat

South of the border, the English are gearing up for another referendum on Harry Kane.

Despite scoring a record 79 times for the Three Lions and being one fine summer away from becoming the Ballon d’Or favourite following another prolific season with Bayern Munich, England’s talismanic captain is still not completely appreciated for his greatness.

Roy Keane kickstarted the pre-tournament discourse on Friday after Kane netted the only goal in a 1-0 friendly victory against New Zealand, bemoaning his insistence on dropping deep to get more involved. Yeah, Roy, that’s who Harry Kane is. For over a decade now, it’s been super effective.

It’s even worse away from the telly. Prepare yourself for plenty of “why doesn’t Ollie Watkins start instead?” shouts, for “I would have taken Danny Welbeck and played him” takes.

Hero: Estadio Azteca

Mexico’s duties as co-hosts will make them the first country to have ever held games at three separate World Cups. And, given how football mad they are over there, good on them. The injustice is they are only hosting 13 matches in this tournament.

American architecture has a Marmite flavouring that is only truly loved by natives. The stadiums, like all else in the States, are supersized but lack soul. That the final will be held in the dystopian New Jersey car park of MetLife Stadium is at best disappointing and at worst an abomination.

The Estadio Azteca – a true cathedral of sport which has served as the stage of two previous World Cup finals in 1970 and 198 plus the scene of England’s undoing by Diego Maradona at the latter tournament – will host five matches, including a potential last-16 tie between Mexico and England that could shatter sound records.

Villain: Drake

It’s an exciting time for Canadians. A World Cup at home in a group they should qualify from. This is their golden era of football.

But where the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) will try to drown out a supervillain in Trump, Canada will have to defeat the cartoon villainy of rap sensation Drake, who is said to carry a curse in sports – whichever team he roots for often seems to lose in dramatic and sometimes unexpected circumstances.

Drake, born and raised in Toronto, is not only supporting Canada as a fan, but is behind the team’s tracksuits for the tournament too, owing to a partnership between his Nocta brand and Nike. A true test of internet lore awaits us.

Hero: The American people

The bulk of this World Cup will take place on US soil, and while we have outlined the many negatives of that, it’s still hard not to be overcome with football fever.

The 1994 tournament changed soccer in the States forever, setting the foundation for this event 32 years later. There are now generations of local supporters who will get to experience the thrill of the biggest and most competitive World Cup ever.

The political nightmares lingering in the air do not represent America as a whole. The people will determine that image themselves, and they are more or less pulling in the same direction – they want the World Cup to be a success, regardless of whatever pre-planned drivel Trump and Infantino have already drafted in their notes.

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