Five athletes who will compete in the 2026 World Cup have a direct relationship with Corinthians

- By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial

The World Cup is one of the biggest events in the world and, in addition to uniting different cultures and peoples, it often attracts attention and helps create a feeling of belonging for those who also don't like football. The 2026 edition of the tournament, which takes place every four years, began this Thursday afternoon (11) with the match between Mexico and South Africa, at the Azteca Stadium. The Mexicans won 2 x 1 and started at the top of Group A.

The biggest national team tournament on the planet is taking place in the United States, Mexico and Canada, lasting between June 11th and July 19th. With Brazil as the biggest champion, with five cups (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002), the 2026 World Cup has a peculiarity: five players who will compete in the competition have a direct relationship with Corinthians. Central do Timão separated who they are!

Photo: Reuters
Marquinhos (Brazil)

Revealed at the Corinthians base and champion of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup in 2012, Marquinhos was on the field 15 times for the Corinthians professional team (13 as a starter). In total, he provided one assist and was part of the squad that won the 2012 Conmebol Libertadores, undefeated, against Boca Jrs. Shortly afterwards, he was sold to Roma, from Italy, until being sold to PSG, from France, in mid-2013. There, he still plays there today and is one of the greatest idols in the club's history. He recently won his second Champions League title with the Parisian team.

The prominence at the French club earned Marquinhos a call-up to the Brazilian national team. In total, there are seven goals and two assists in 105 games with the Amarelinha shirt. The defender will compete in his third World Cup for Canarinho, as he was also present in 2018 and 2022.

Félix Torres (Ecuador)

Currently loaned to Internacional until the end of the current season, Félix Torres has a contract with Corinthians ending in December 2027. Even with questionable performance since his arrival in Brazilian football in 2024, after standing out for Santos Laguna, from Mexico, the defender is one of the pillars of Ecuador's defensive system, which had a surprising campaign in the South American Qualifiers for the World Cup and qualified for this edition of the tournament.

In total, there are 80 games with the Corinthians shirt (73 as a starter), with two goals scored and two titles won: Campeonato Paulista (2025) and Copa do Brasil (2025). For the team from Rio Grande do Sul, which they have defended since the beginning of this year, they have scored two goals in 19 matches. For the Ecuadorian national team, he scored five times in 48 matches.

Fabián Balbuena (Paraguay)

Popularly known as 'General', Balbuena played for Corinthians in two spells: the first between 2016-2018 and the second between mid-2022 and mid-2023. In total, there were 15 goals and three assists in 167 matches for Timão (153 as a starter). Furthermore, he won the following titles: Campeonato Brasileiro (2017) and Paulistão (2017 and 2018).

Since mid-2025 defending Grêmio, he will be at the World Cup defending Paraguay. In 48 games for La Albirroja, he scored two goals.

Ederson (Brazil)

The midfielder played for Corinthians between March 2020 and January 2021, after standing out for Cruzeiro, where he was revealed in part of the 2019 season. At Parque São Jorge, however, after a promising start, he lost space in the squad and was loaned to Fortaleza for a season. There, he was one of the team's pillars in qualifying for the 2022 Libertadores and was then sold to Salernitana, from Italy.

The following year, after having an impressive performance in a team considered to be of little importance, he caught the attention of Atalanta, also from Italy. In the Bergamo team, he was a starter for most of his arrival and, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, he is about to be sold to Manchester United, in England. Alvinegro, in fact, should be entitled to just over R$2 million from the FIFA Solidarity Mechanism.

With the Corinthians shirt, there were only 25 games and three goals scored, with no titles won. For the Brazilian team, there are only three games. He was called up by Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti after right-back Wesley, from Roma, Italy, was cut due to an injury suffered in the friendly against Egypt last weekend.

Memphis Depay (Netherlands)

At Corinthians since September 2024, after being hired after not renewing his contract with Atlético de Madrid, from Spain, Memphis Depay has been one of Timão's main players since then. He was fundamental in the start of the Brasileirão team two years ago (from Z4 to Pré-Libertadores), in addition to being decisive in winning the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025) and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo, respectively.

In the decisions, he went to the net in one of them and assisted Yuri Alberto to score the goal that won the state title. With the Corinthians shirt, he scored 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 games (62 of them as a starter).

In the Netherlands, he is recognized for being the greatest scorer in the history of the national team, with 55 goals scored. The Timão shirt will represent the Netherlands in this edition of the World Cup, the third of his career, as he was in 2014, in Brazil, and 2022, in Qatar.

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Source: Timao Central