All 11 Sunderland Players Set To Feature In Upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup

Sunderland finished their return to England’s elite with a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League, which cemented their spot in the Europa League competition for next term. 

Throughout the campaign, a litany of Sunderland stars established themselves as some of the top flight’s best in their positions, namely with captain Granit Xhaka. 

Xhaka was nominated for Premier League transfer of the season, and the Switzerland skipper will be hoping to continue his rich vein of form into the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

In testament to the quality of Regis Le Bris’ squad, several Sunderland stars have been selected for their respective national sides to fly their flags on the global footballing stage. 

Here, Roundtable Sports runs you through every Sunderland player who will be fighting to knock reigning champions Argentina off their perch. 

Sunderland’s Player of the Season Xhaka will be wishing to have a similar effect for his country this summer as he did for his new club throughout the season. 

Xhaka’s Switzerland will face hosts Canada, Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B.

Noah Sadiki was one of the standout Black Cats players this season, cementing himself as one of the best young box-to-box midfielders in the top flight, and the 21-year-old will look to make a similar mark as DR Congo take to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years. 

Full-back Arthur Masuaka, who faces a future away from Wearside after spending most of the season on loan at RC Lens away from Sunderland despite only arriving on Wearside last summer, will join Sadiki in the Congolese squad. 

DR Congo will take on Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan in Group K. 

Chemsdine Talbi has enjoyed some brilliant moments in his debut campaign for Sunderland, with his favourite being his winning goal at Chelsea, and he will hope to make a similar impact for Morocco in the upcoming tournament. 

Morocco will come up against Brazil, Scotland and his teammate, Wilson Isidor's Haiti in Group C.

Sunderland striker Isidor, who recently pledged his international allegiance to Haiti, finished the campaign as the Black Cats’ second top goalscorer. 

Isidor will need to be in the goals yet again this summer if Haiti are to beat the Brazilians, Scots and Talbi’s Moroccan teammates. 

Sunderland’s record signing Habib Diarra did not set the world alight following his £30m arrival from Strasbourg, but the young midfielder did show flashes of promise, and the World Cup will offer him an opportunity to continue his development. 

Diarra’s Senegal take on France, Norway and Iran in Group I.

Sunderland’s Young Player of the Season Robin Roefs cemented himself as one of the best young goalkeepers in the Premier League in his debut campaign, and as a result, has been awarded with a call up to the Dutch national team.

Additionally, Roefs is not the only Sunderland representative in the Dutch squad, with bullish number nine Brian Brobbey also called up after he ended his debut Wearside season as the club’s top goalscorer. 

Roefs, Brobbey and their Netherlands teammates will face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F.

Omar Alderete was one of many Sunderland defenders who impressed this season, and the Paraguayan international will look to be on form again to contend with hosts United States, Turkey and Australia in Group D.

In the mid-season window, winger Nilson Angulo arrived at Sunderland from Anderlect, but failed to contribute a goal or assist in his first nine games in red-and-white. 

Ecuadorian Angulo will face Germany, Ivory Coast and Curaçao in Group E. 

Interestingly, Angulo will face Sunderland winger Simon Adingra in Group E, who has been selected to represent Ivory Coast after enjoying a productive spell on loan from Wearside at AS Monaco in the second half of the season. 

Adingra, who notched five goal contributions in 17 outings for the Ligue 1 outfit, will take on Angulo’s Ecuador, Curaçao and the 2014 World Cup winners.