FIFA World Cup 2026: From Erling Haaland to Luca Zidane, sons ready to carry their fathers’ legacies forward

FIFA World Cup 2026: from Erling Haaland to Luca Zidane, sons ready to carry their fathers’ legacies forwardAs the FIFA World Cup 2026 prepares to kick off across Mexico, the US, and Canada on June 11, the exclusive club of father-son duos to play the World Cup is about to welcome its newest members. Till now, a total of 27 father-son duos have featured in football's biggest stage and the number is set to see a significant rise this summer in North America.Erling Haaland, Luca Zidane, Kristian Thorstvedt are among the footballers who will be aiming to make their fathers and countries proud with their performances in the upcoming edition of the marquee tournament, which will be the first 48-team World Cup after its expansion from the 32-team format.Here are some players who are featuring in the 2026 World Cup and also saw their fathers represent their countries in the tournament:Sebastian Berhalter (USA)The midfielder is the son of Gregg Berhalter, who played for USA in the 2002 edition, where they made it to the final eight and again in the 2006 edition. Sebastian made his international debut last year, scoring in a 5-1 win over Uruguay and delivering a strong season with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Major League Soccer (MLS), securing his place in Mauricio Pochettino’s 26-member squad for the tournament.Francisco Conceicao (Portugal)The Portuguese winger secured a win for his side over Czechia in their EURO 2024 opener and was also on the goalsheet during his team's win over Germany in the UEFA Nations League semifinals in June. He is the son of Sergio Conceicao, who featured in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.Lee Taeseok ( South Korea)Playing as a left-back for FK Austria Wien, Lee scored the only goal in South Korea’s victory over Ghana in November. His father, Lee Eulyong, scored an equaliser for South Korea in the third-place match against Turkey in the 2002 World Cup, which South Korea lost 2-3.Angus Gunn (Scotland)Formerly an England youth international, Gunn switched allegiance to Scotland and is now their first-choice goalkeeper. Although his recent football experience is limited after a knee injury in December ruled him out for much of the season, he managed only 45 minutes for Nottingham Forest. His father Bryan Gunn was the third-choice goalkeeper for Scotland in the 1990 World Cup squad.Erling Haaland (Norway)Arguably the most high-profile son in the list and likely to make his father proud this tournament. Known for his prolific goal-scoring and numerous trophies with Manchester City, the goal-scoring machine is the son of Alfie Haaland, who played for Norway in the 1994 World Cup when Norway narrowly defeated Mexico.Justin Kluivert (Netherlands)Justin is the son of Patrick Kluivert, who appeared for the Netherlands in the 1998 World Cup campaign and was sent off on his debut against Belgium. He did score in big matches, against Argentina in the quarters, against Brazil in the semis, but the Netherlands lost the match via penalties.Justin had a sensational season with Bournemouth in 2024/25, which helped him earn his place in the Dutch World Cup squad.Giuliano Simeone (Argentina)Son of Diego Simeone, who was part of Argentina’s three World Cup campaigns, including the 1998 tournament famous for David Beckham’s sending off in the round of 16, Giuliano plays for Atletico Madrid under his father. He is an important player in Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina squad, having scored in their 4-1 win against Brazil in 2025.Kristian Thorstvedt (Norway )Another Norwegian in the list, the midfielder earned his side the qualification by downing Italy 4-1 during the qualifiers. He is the son of the former Tottenham goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt, who featured in the 1994 edition, also held in the USA where Norway faced a group stage exit due to goals scored.Luca Zidane (Algeria)The famous surname ‘Zidane’ is back again at the world’s biggest stage. Luca Zidane is the son of legendary French FIFA World Cup-winning icon Zinedine Zidane. He played alongside Dayot Upamecano for France at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but has since switched allegiances and made his debut for Algeria in October. He had a very good club season as a shotstopper for Spanish club Granada.Here is the list of all 27 father-son duos to play the FIFA World Cup: