8 players from the Celtic squad will be present in the USA, Canada and Mexico
After securing yet another Scottish league title, Celtic’s star players will now turn their attention to the World Cup 2026 schedule and groups as they meet up with their respective national team setups and start preparing for the summer showcase.
While the main priority for most Celtic fans will, of course, be the progress of Scotland, there are plenty of other teams worth keeping an eye on to see how some other Bhoys players get on.
8 of the best players in the squad will be in the USA, Canada and Mexico, where this year’s edition of the World Cup takes place, hoping to help their respective countries to glory.
2 of them will be representing Scotland, two of them will be playing for host nation countries, while the other four are scattered around various international teams.
Here are those 8 players and how you can follow them at the World Cup in June and July.
Kieran Tierney, Anthony Ralston – Scotland
First of all, Scotland boss Steve Clarke has selected just two Celtic players, which has come as a surprise to some. They are Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston.
Either at left back or left-sided centre back, Kieran Tierney will feel he must be a part of Steve Clarke’s plans for this World Cup. The former Arsenal star is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the Scottish setup and will feel he has had a good season after winning another title.
Meanwhile, right back Anthony Ralston will be quite optimistic about securing a place in the starting lineup, too. He’s made 35 appearances in all competitions for Celtic this season as a very dependable option for Martin O’Neill, and will hope to build on his 25 caps for his country this summer.
Scotland will begin their campaign in Group C against debutants Haiti and then Morocco, both in Foxborough, Massachusetts, before meeting Brazil in a repeat of their World Cup ’98 showdown at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Alistair Johnston – Canada
Despite making only 7 league appearances for Celtic this season, and contributing one assist, experienced right-back Alistair Johnston has 56 caps for his country and could well be Jesse Marsch’s first choice in that position come the beginning of the World Cup.
If so, Johnston could feature for Canada against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B. As one of the three home nations, Canada will have the advantage of playing all three of their group games on home soil in Toronto and Vancouver. This could help them get the edge in some of those rather evenly-matched contests.
Auston Trusty – USA
Like Johnston, Auston Trusty is also featuring for one of the home nations as he has been chosen by Mauricio Pochettino for the USMNT for the World Cup.
Trusty is also 27 but with far less international experience, as he looks to add to 7 caps for the USA so far. He’s played a lot more for Celtic this season than Johnson, often being a pivotal part of the defensive structure, and with little competition in that area, he will be expecting to fight to take a place in the heart of the American defence.
The US face Paraguay and Turkey in Inglewood and Australia in Seattle in Group D.
Benjamin Nygren – Sweden
Benjamin Nygren has scored 16 goals in 38 league appearances since arriving from Nordsjælland, which is a decent tally for an attacking midfielder or winger.
Unlike some of his fellow forwards in Graham Potter’s Sweden squad, who will be competing for a spot through the middle with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, as a wide player, Nygren has a much more realistic chance of featuring.
Sweden are in Group F with Tunisia, the Netherlands, and Japan. They will face the North Africans in Guadalupe, Mexico, before heading to Texas to play the Dutch and Japanese.
Yang Hyun-jun – South Korea
Another winger, 24-year-old Yang Hyun-jun, has been selected for South Korea. He’s played 78 league games for Celtic in three years at the club and will hope to build on a modest 8 international caps this summer.
He will face significant competition in those advanced positions from the likes of LAFC star and former Champions League finalist with Tottenham, Son Heung-min, and Wolves star Hwang Hee-chan, among others, and so might find his playtime limited.
South Korea have been drawn in Group A with Czechia, South Africa and hosts Mexico, and will play all of their games south of the US border.
Sebastian Tounekti – Tunisia
Another winger hoping to make an impact at the World Cup is 23-year-old Sebastian Tounekti of Tunisia. He has made 27 league appearances this season since arriving last summer and has impressed.
With limited competition for places in the Tunisia squad in attacking positions, Tounekti will rightly hope to increase his 10 international caps at this summer’s World Cup.
Tunisia are in Group F with the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden.
Daizen Maeda – Japan
Perhaps the most high-profile player on this list, Daizen Maeda, could prove crucial as the spearhead of a Japanese attack full of quality. Many are tipping Japan to go far and raise some eyebrows this summer. They have quality all over the pitch in spades in what has been described as a ‘golden generation’.
28-year-old striker Maeda has been one of Celtic’s brightest lights since arriving in 2022, but has often flattered to deceive for Japan.
As he reaches his peak, this tournament could be the best chance he has to do something special, given the crop of talent he will be surrounded by.
Japan will face Sweden, Tunisia and the Netherlands in Group F.
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