India, June 10 -- The FIFA World Cup has always been a tournament of footballing eras. The 2026 edition may be the first to stage two of them at once.

This is already the biggest World Cup ever conceived: 48 teams, 104 matches and 1,248 players spread across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Expansion will stretch the tournament's geography, calendar, and competitive depth. It is also stretching its age table.

At one end, eight players aged 40 or above have been selected, more than every previous World Cup combined. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, arrives for a sixth World Cup. Lionel Messi, weeks short of 39, returns for a sixth of his own. Guillermo Ochoa completes that six-tournament club. Luka Modric, Manuel Neuer and Craig Gordon lend 2...