Only five starters from the 2018 World Cup semi-finals remain ahead of 2026 tournament
An eight-year cycle of generational turnover has reshaped the squads that defined Russia 2018, with just a handful of familiar faces still standing
The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia delivered an all-European final four for the first time since 1966. France, Belgium, Croatia, and England each fielded starting lineups in the semi-finals.
Only five players from those semi-final starting XIs remain active within their national team setups as the expanded 48-team World Cup approaches.
Who survived the eight-year filter
Kylian Mbappe, who was 19 years old during that tournament, remains the most prominent survivor from France’s victorious campaign. N’Golo Kante and Lucas Hernandez round out the French contingent still connected to their national team, both having featured in the 2018 World Cup final itself. For Croatia, Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic remain part of the picture.
Modric’s continued presence is particularly notable. The Croatian midfielder was already 32 during the 2018 tournament.
Belgium’s semi-final starting lineup featured Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Thibaut Courtois, and has largely aged out or moved on from the national team setup. England’s 2018 semi-final starters, including Harry Kane, have similarly cycled through.
Croatia’s institutional memory advantage
Croatia has retained a broader base of World Cup experience than most. The country’s 2026 squad preparations have involved six players who were part of the 2018 runners-up team in some capacity, not all of whom started in the semi-final itself.
Croatia reached the 2018 final, then made the 2022 semi-finals as well. For a nation of roughly four million people, consistently producing and retaining world-class talent across multiple tournament cycles is a measurable achievement.
The eight-year cycle and what it means for 2026
The 2026 tournament will be the first to feature 48 teams, a significant expansion from the 32-team format used in every World Cup since 1998.
England has integrated younger players like Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka into a squad that remained competitive through Euro 2024, though the 2018 semi-final starters are largely gone from the equation.
The five survivors from 2018’s semi-final lineups are Mbappe, Modric, Perisic, Kante, and Hernandez.