Palace at the World Cup: Previous tournament heroes

Of the 48 teams at the finals, 10 of the squads will feature Palace players. This representation is amongst the best in the world, with only five clubs across Europe having more players at the tournament.

It's especially impressive considering that just 24 years ago, at the Japan and South Korea finals in 2002, Gregg Berhalter became the very first player registered for the Eagles at that time to play in a World Cup.

Let's see who else is in the elite club of Crystal Palace’s World Cup representatives…

Gregg Berhalter – 2002

Berhalter would later become manager of his country and lead them back to the finals in 2022. But two decades prior to then, he was a player who formed part of the US side that made history in 2002.

After a dismal showing at France 1998 following a last-16 appearance as hosts four years previously in 1994, expectations were low coming into this tournament for the Stars and Stripes.

But they would record their best finish of the modern era with a remarkable run to the quarter-finals. A thrilling 3-2 win over Portugal in their first game made the world take notice.

They eventually qualified from Group D despite a defeat to Poland, before Berhalter was called into the team to replace the injured Jeff Agoos. He featured in the Round of 16 win over Mexico and the quarter-final against Germany, where USA's brave run was ended by a solitary Michael Ballack goal.

Tony Popovic – 2006

Although Popovic would leave Palace at the end of June 2006, when the tournament began he was on our books. And the defender would be a part of what proved a breakthrough World Cup for his country, Australia.

The Socceroos reached the last 16 of the competition, only to be defeated by eventual winners Italy thanks to a controversial 95th-minute penalty.

Despite playing a big role in qualifying, Popovic only had limited involvement at the finals due to injury. He made his first start in the second group game against Brazil.

However, Popovic was withdrawn after suffering a calf injury five minutes before half-time. He would subsequently be ruled out of the next game against Croatia and the knockout game against Italy.

Mile Jedinak – 2014

The second Aussie on the list is, of course, the legend himself Mile Jedinak. After helping the Eagles maintain Premier League status for the first time in 2013/14, Jedinak then headed off to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup Finals.

Captain of Ange Postecoglou's side, the midfielder played every minute of Australia's campaign.

Although they were unable to progress from the group stage, losing three matches, they did take part in one of the games of the tournament against the Netherlands, despite ultimately going down to a 3-2 defeat.

Nine minutes after half-time, Jedinak became the first active Palace player to score in a World Cup Finals match with a cool penalty which gave Australia a 2-1 lead at the time.

He would go on to score two further goals in World Cup Finals, coincidentally with both also coming from the penalty spot, against France and Denmark in 2018.

These days, Jedinak is an assistant coach with Australia and will be part of their backroom team at the 2026 Finals in North America. While there he will come up against Chris Richards and the USA side in Group D.

Luka Milivojevic – 2018

The then-Eagles captain led Serbia to the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia.

Whilst there, the midfielder featured against Costa Rica and Switzerland in a group also containing the formidable figure of Brazil.

In the end Serbia fell short of qualifying for the next round, beaten 2-0 by the Brazilians in their final game.

Milivojevic featured in the first two games for Serbia, spending 171 minutes on the pitch.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 2018

On loan at Palace from Chelsea for the 2017/18 season, Ruben Loftus-Cheek managed to force his way into the England squad for the 2018 World Cup after making his debut in November 2017.

The Lewisham-born player had enjoyed a successful spell at Selhurst Park, playing 24 Premier League games as the Eagles surged to survival following a tough start to the season.

At the tournament he came off the bench in the first group game with eight minutes to go as a replacement for Deli Ali, England eventually winning 2-1.

The Three Lions then smashed Panama in their next outing, with Loftus-Cheek starting and completing the full game.

He also claimed an assist when his shot was diverted in by Harry Kane for England's sixth goal.

Loftus-Cheek also featured in the final group game and the Third-Place play-off against Belgium as Gareth Southgate's side reached the semi-final stage.

Jordan Ayew – 2022

Ayew had already featured in a World Cup when he signed for Palace – playing for Ghana in 2014 – but he did so again when the Black Stars reached the finals in Qatar in 2022.

In the toughest of groups, alongside Portugal, South Korea and – with a chance at revenge – Uruguay, Ghana fell narrowly short of qualifying for the knockout rounds.

Ayew appeared in all three group games, playing 136 minutes in total. He also registered an assist during the 3-2 win over South Korea.

Joachim Andersen – 2022

The defender's experience of the biggest international tournaments was bolstered in 2021, when his Denmark team reached the semi-finals of the European Championships before they were ultimately beaten by England at Wembley.

Anderson was one of Denmark's first names on the teamsheet when he was called into their squad for the Qatar World Cup.

Many neutrals viewed them as dark horses before the tournament began, but they encountered a tough group, drawn with France, Tunisia and Australia.

Denmark ultimately ended up with just one point and were eliminated. Andersen did register an assist during a 2-1 defeat against France, who triumphed thanks to a brace from Kylian Mbappe.