Veteran Qatar forward Sebastián Soria is in line to become the oldest outfield player in World Cup history after being named in the country’s preliminary squad for the 2026 tournament.
The 42-year-old Uruguay-born striker was included in coach Julen Lopetegui’s 34-man provisional list, which must be trimmed to 26 players before the World Cup begins on June 11.
If selected for the final squad and featured during the tournament, Soria would surpass Roger Milla’s long-standing record as the oldest outfield player to appear at a World Cup. Milla was 42 when he played for Cameroon at the 1994 tournament in the United States.
The oldest player ever to feature at the World Cup remains Essam El Hadary, who was 45 years and 161 days old when he represented Egypt against Saudi Arabia at the 2018 finals.
Soria’s inclusion marks a remarkable return to the international stage after his Qatar career appeared to end in 2017. He was omitted from the hosts’ squad for the 2022 World Cup but earned a recall last October, appearing as a second-half substitute in Qatar’s decisive 2-1 qualifying win over the United Arab Emirates in Doha.
“Proud to wear the Al Anabi jersey once again and represent this beautiful country,” Soria wrote on Instagram following the match.
The striker moved to Qatar in 2004 to play club football before making his national team debut three years later.
Qatar open their World Cup campaign against Switzerland in San Francisco on June 13 before facing co-host Canada in Vancouver and Bosnia and Herzegovina later in the group stage.
Oluwagbemisola Babalola
