Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo puts his hand on Croatia's Luka Modric after the second half of a World Cup round of 32 soccer match, in Toronto.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
There are few jewels in a soccer player’s crown brighter than a World Cup win. The storied tournament, first held in 1930 in Uruguay, is an opportunity for footballers – and their countries – to display their top-tier talent on a global stage.
The stakes are high. Winning a World Cup comes with undisputed bragging rights for the victorious team, a coveted gold star to be displayed above their country’s crest on their tournament jerseys (Brazil currently has five, the most of any country), a gold-plated replica of the World Cup trophy (FIFA retains the solid-gold original) – and a massive pot of prize money. For the 2026 edition of the tournament, the champions will earn US$50-million, the highest-ever payout in World Cup history.
What you need to know about the World Cup final and how to watch
For many, winning the tournament is a career-long goal, but even some of the most decorated footballers have failed to earn the title of World Cup champion. Here are some of the sport’s greatest athletes to never win a World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo only scored three goals this World Cup, including a penalty in the round of 32, his first ever knockout goal.Ashley Landis/The Associated Press
CR7 may have won almost every major trophy in professional soccer, but the World Cup will be the one award that will forever elude him.
Ronaldo confirmed that the 2026 World Cup would be the last he would participate in for Portugal on July 5. He told reporters at the time that he was “not going to be more Cristiano or less Cristiano because I win the World Cup.”
A day later, Portugal was eliminated from the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Spain in the round of 16. The 41-year-old Portuguese superstar walked off the pitch in tears.
Ronaldo was relatively quiet in this year’s World Cup, only scoring three goals, including a penalty in the round of 32, which marked his first-ever World Cup knockout goal. The furthest Portugal has over gone in the tournament with Ronaldo was in 2006 – his World Cup debut – when the team made the semi-finals. That squad lost 1-0 to France, captained by Zinedine Zidane.
Regardless of the result, Ronaldo is still one of the most decorated players ever and the all-time men’s leader in international goals, with 146. He also won the UEFA European championship with Portugal in 2016, and the FIFA Ballon d’Or - awarded to the best player of the season - five times, the second-most ever.
At a club level, Ronaldo has won the Premier League in three consecutive seasons with Manchester United, La Liga twice with Real Madrid and Serie A twice with Juventus. Ronaldo also won five Champions League titles, holding the record for the most appearances and goals in the tournament’s history. He currently plays in the Saudi Pro League, where his Al-Nassr squad are defending league champions.
Harry Kane
Kane has made three straight World Cup playoffs, falling twice in the semi-final rounds and once in the quarter-finals.Paul Childs/Reuters
The latest addition to the list, England captain Harry Kane fell short of England’s second-ever World Cup victory after a 2-1 loss to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals.
Kane has made three straight World Cup playoffs, falling twice in the semi-final rounds and once in the quarter-finals. The striker has not netted a goal in either of the semi-finals he’s participated in, but was one of the top scorers both the 2018 World Cup and the 2026 edition. Kane won the Golden Boot – awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament – for netting six goals in the 2018 World Cup. The 32-year-old also has six goals in this tournament’s edition.
At the club level, Kane spent most of his career at Tottenham Hotspur before Bayern Munich agreed to a deal with the striker in 2023. The striker has won the Bundesliga twice with Bayern, and was the Bundesliga player of the season for 2024-25.
Kane has been one of the most productive goal scorers in Europe, winning the European Golden Shoe twice and the Premier League Golden Boot. He was also the UEFA Champions League top scorer. Kane’s captained England since the 2018 World Cup qualifiers and helped the team to two-straight UEFA Euros finals.
Luka Modric
Modric, right, had his World Cup hopes slashed after a heartbreaking defeat against Portugal in the round of 32.JOHN E SOKOLOWSKI/Reuters
Widely regarded as Croatia’s best footballer, Luka Modric’s closest chance at hoisting the FIFA World Cup trophy came during the final match in 2018, when he captained the Croatian squad to a disappointing 4-2 loss to the French national team.
The Zadar-born player had his World Cup hopes slashed again during the 2026 edition of the tournament after a heartbreaking defeat against Portugal in the round of 32. While the player hasn’t officially said if he’ll return for another World Cup, Modric, who turns 41 this September, isn’t likely to play in 2030. Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić suggested after the loss that it was probably the central midfielder’s last World Cup appearance.
Modric’s impressive 13-season-long career with renowned Spanish club Real Madrid largely springboarded the footballer to fame. He became known as a whip-smart playmaker with unparalleled game vision, physical stamina and highly accurate passes. In 2018, he won the coveted Ballon d’Or, widely regarded as the sport’s highest individual h onour. Throughout his decades-long career, he’s won several championships including six UEFA Champions League titles and two Copa del Reys.
Neymar
Neymar has scored 80 goals in 130 appearances for the men's national squad, making him Brazil's top goalscorer.ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images
The Brazilian winger and midfielder has competed for his country four times at the World Cup, with his best result coming in 2014 when the team earned a fourth-place finish at the tournament on home soil. In 2026, the team was booted during the round of 16 after losing 2-1 against Norway.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior – known as Neymar – rose to fame when he was transferred to the prominent Spanish club FC Barcelona in 2013 at the age of 21. There, he played closely with football elites including Lionel Messi and Uruguay’s Luis Suárez for four seasons. In addition to winning more than 30 major trophies throughout his career, he also carries the honour of being Brazil’s top goalscorer, with 80 goals in 130 appearances for the men’s national squad. (Coming in second is the legendary Pelé with 77 successful shots in 92 appearances for the team.)
Neymar previously said that the 2026 World Cup would be his last, but a 2030 return isn’t impossible. He’ll be 38 then, joining other soccer greats including Ronaldo and Messi who have successfully returned to the international tournament around the age of 40.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic has scored more than 500 goals for both club and country in the span of four straight decades from the 1990s to the 2020s.JONATHAN NACKSTRAND
Before Zlatan Ibrahimovic was an analyst for Fox Sports’ World Cup coverage, the 44-year-old cemented himself as one of Sweden’s best players ever.
Sweden only qualified for two World Cups when Ibrahimovic was on the national team: 2002 and 2006. In the former, the striker was used as a substitute before being eliminated in the round of 16 by Senegal. In the latter, Sweden was also eliminated in the round of 16, but by Germany. The Swedes failed to qualify for the 2010 and 2014 tournaments, and Ibrahimovic holds the burden of never having scored a World Cup goal.
Even though a World Cup was never in the cards, Ibrahimovic has scored more than 500 goals for both club and country, with goals coming in four straight decades from the 1990s to the 2020s. He famously scored his 500th goal on Canadian soil during a Major League Soccer match between the LA Galaxy and Toronto FC.
Ibrahimovic has also nabbed numerous league titles, including Ligue 1, Serie A and La Liga, and has been named to multiple UEFA teams of the year.
David Beckham
Beckham was the first English player to ever score in three World Cups from 1998 to 2006.DARREN STAPLES
David Beckham might have had a movie named after his “bending” free kick, but the English midfielder was never able to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy.
Beckham participated in three World Cups from 1998 to 2006, and was the first English player to ever score in three World Cups. While England qualified for the knockout stage in every tournament with Beckham, the furthest the Three Lions ever went with the midfielder on the roster was two-straight quarter-final losses: First to Brazil in 2002, and then to Portugal in 2006. Two of the three exits were at the hands of penalty shootouts.
At times, Beckham’s performances drew scrutiny from the public, specifically in 1998. A 23-year-old Beckham was shown a red card in the round of 16 against Argentina after he kicked Diego Simeone while the Argentine was on the ground. The game ended in a tie and England was eliminated via a penalty shootout.
Outside of his international career, Beckham found much of his success in his club play.
The midfielder won six Premier League titles and a Champions League title with Manchester United, a La Liga title with Real Madrid, a Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain and two MLS Cup titles with LA Galaxy. Beckham is the first English player to win league titles in four different countries.
Robert Lewandowski
While Lewandowski’s, pictured right, tenure with the Polish national team has only resulted in two World Cup appearances, he's won 10 league Bundesliga league titles.Czarek Sokolowski/The Associated Press
Poland may not be a nation known for soccer, but Robert Lewandowski is still one of the best strikers of all time.
Lewandowski’s tenure with the Polish national team has only resulted in two World Cup appearances in 2018 and 2022, and two World Cup goals. Poland failed to qualify with Lewandowski for the 2014 and 2026 editions of the tournament. The 37-year-old striker hasn’t explicitly said whether he will be retiring from international soccer.
Despite a lack of World Cup action, Lewandowski has flourished with Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona. He won 10 Bundesliga league titles across Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, including eight-straight in his eight seasons with the latter. Lewandowski also won a Champions League title with Bayern Munich, and, at FC Barcelona, won three La Liga titles. For his striking prowess, Lewandowski has won numerous awards including the Best FIFA Men’s Player and the European Golden Shoe (awarded to Europe’s top goalscorer), each won twice in consecutive seasons.
Lewandowski is currently on MLS’s Chicago Fire, after signing with the team in June.
Kevin De Bruyne
Belgium had a strong showing during the 2026 tournament, but failed to advance against Spain in the quarter-finals.David Ramos/Getty Images
Not only has Kevin De Bruyne never earned a FIFA World Cup tournament win, his country hasn’t either. Belgium’s best finish came in 2018, with the midfielder helping the team to a third-place win against England. The squad had a strong showing during the 2026 edition of the tournament, but after beating the U.S. 4-1 in the round of sixteen, the Red Devils failed to advance against Spain.
De Bruyne is known for his playmaking, ability to score quality goals with both feet and his signature “KDB cross,” which refers to how he can lob – with great accuracy – the ball between the opposing team’s defensive line and goalkeeper for scoring opportunities.
At the professional level, De Bruyne has played for the Premier League’s Chelsea club and joined Manchester City in 2015. He moved to the Italian league Serie A to play for Napoli in 2025. He’s won an impressive six Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League and several honours.
With reports from the Associated Press