Veteran forward Sebastián Soria, who plays for Qatar, has the opportunity to set a record as the oldest outfield player in World Cup history. At 42 years old, he has been named in the preliminary squad for the tournament.
Qatar’s coach, Julen Lopetegui, selected Soria as part of a 34-player roster that must be trimmed to 26 before the World Cup kicks off on June 11.
If Soria steps onto the field during the World Cup, where Qatar is grouped with co-host Canada, Switzerland, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, he will surpass Roger Milla’s record for the oldest outfield player in the tournament’s 96-year history.
Roger Milla, who played for Cameroon in 1994 at the age of 42, currently holds the record.
The oldest player to have ever appeared in a World Cup is Egypt‘s goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who was 45 years and 161 days old when he faced Saudi Arabia in 2018.
If he recovers from an injury, Scotland’s 43-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon is also expected to participate in this year’s World Cup.
Although Soria’s international career appeared to have concluded in 2017 and he was not included in Qatar’s squad for the 2022 World Cup, he received a call-up last October. He played as a substitute in Qatar’s crucial 2-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates during a World Cup qualifying match.
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“I’m proud to don the Al Anabi jersey once more and represent this beautiful country,” Soria conveyed in an Instagram post following the match.
Soria joined the Qatari league in 2004 and made his debut for the national team in 2007.
Qatar will begin its World Cup journey on June 13 against Switzerland in San Francisco, followed by matches against Canada in Vancouver and Bosnia-Herzegovina.