A number of former Aston Villa players have been included in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with several of them making a significant impact.
Aston Villa have been represented by 10 current players at this year’s World Cup. Three of them have already returned home following their nations’ early exits. Interestingly, there are also 10 former Villa players featuring in the tournament, with several producing standout performances.
The latest to grab the headlines is Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. He played a pivotal role in Norway’s victory over Brazil, making four saves, including a first-half penalty stop from Bruno Guimarães, as well as one high claim and one punch to frustrate Vinícius Júnior and company.
The 35-year-old has now featured in all four of Norway’s matches in North America, although his display against Brazil was arguably his finest of the tournament.
Ironically, the former RB Leipzig goalkeeper, who spent two seasons at Villa Park between 2018 and 2020, is currently a free agent after his contract with Sevilla expired.
It will be interesting to see whether Unai Emery considers bringing him back on a short-term deal should Emiliano Martínez leave and Villa fail to meet the asking prices of their preferred goalkeeper targets following UEFA’s recent financial sanctions.
Nyland, who made just 36 appearances for Villa—most of them in the Championship—is certainly not the only former Villan to impress at the 2026 World Cup. Here are some of the others.
The England forward enjoyed a productive loan spell under Unai Emery during the second half of the 2024/25 season, registering four goals and six assists in 17 appearances across all competitions.
At this year’s World Cup, Rashford has featured in four matches, starting two of them against Panama and DR Congo. The Manchester United loanee has scored once so far, finding the net in England’s 4-2 opening victory over Croatia.
The current Al Ahly winger played for Aston Villa between 2019 and 2022, making 64 appearances while contributing nine goals and five assists.
Trezeguet has featured in three matches at the 2026 World Cup and has arguably performed better than he did at Russia 2018, scoring against New Zealand and providing an assist versus Iran. The former Anderlecht winger is also on course to earn his 100th international cap should he feature against Argentina in the round of 16.
The current Burnley defender was part of Aston Villa’s squad between 2017 and 2022, making 46 appearances and registering one assist. At this year’s World Cup, Tuanzebe has played every minute of DR Congo’s four matches, helping his country reach the knockout stage. Their only defeat came against England after taking an early lead.
The Curaçao captain represented Aston Villa from 2013 to 2017, making 131 appearances while scoring eight goals and providing eight assists. Bacuna was also part of the Villa side that finished runners-up in the 2015 FA Cup. At this year’s World Cup, he played in all three group-stage matches and helped his country earn a goalless draw against Ecuador on matchday two.
The 36-year-old midfielder spent just one season at Villa Park in 2015/16, making 38 appearances while scoring once and providing one assist. At the 2026 World Cup, Gueye has featured in four matches and captained Senegal in their final two games—a 5-0 victory over Iraq and a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Belgium in the round of 32.
Besides those five players, several other former Aston Villa men are also part of their respective World Cup squads, although they have not enjoyed the same level of impact.
The likes of Jordan Ayew (Ghana), Carney Chukwuemeka (Austria), and Donyell Malen (Netherlands) have all featured during the tournament, while Aaron Tshibola (DR Congo) has remained an unused substitute.
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