If you mean the 2022 men’s FIFA World Cup, the clearest retirements afterward were Sergio Busquets and Karim Benzema from international football, and Gareth Bale from both club and international football. Eden Hazard retired from professional football later, in 2023.
There is no reliable way to name everyone who will retire after a future World Cup before players make their decisions. This article separates confirmed retirements from related career endings, explains who stopped playing for their country, and shows how to check whether a report is confirmed or only speculation.
what football players are retiring after the world cup?
For the 2022 men’s World Cup, the most accurate short answer is Sergio Busquets, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale, with an important distinction: Busquets and Benzema retired from international football, while Bale ended his professional playing career as well as his Wales career. Eden Hazard also retired from professional football in 2023, but his announcement came months after the tournament.
These are not all the same kind of retirement. An international retirement means a player stops representing their country but may keep playing for a club. A professional retirement means the player stops playing altogether. A player might also step away from one team, leave a club, or simply miss a tournament without retiring.
So, if you are asking about a future World Cup, do not treat predictions as confirmed announcements. Players can change their minds, and a tournament’s end does not automatically mean a veteran will retire. The names below refer to public decisions made in the aftermath of the 2022 tournament or later in the same period.
Players who ended their international careers after the 2022 tournament
Sergio Busquets: Spain retirement
Spain captain Sergio Busquets announced his international retirement in December 2022, after Spain’s exit from the World Cup. He had represented Spain for more than a decade and was part of the side that won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship.
Busquets’ decision was an international retirement, not a retirement from professional football. He continued playing at club level after leaving Spain’s national team. This distinction matters when a headline says a player “retires after the World Cup”: it may mean only that the player will no longer take part in international matches.
Karim Benzema: France retirement
Karim Benzema announced his retirement from France’s national team on December 19, 2022, the day after the World Cup final. He had missed the tournament after suffering an injury before France’s opening match, so he did not play in Qatar.
Benzema’s announcement concerned international football. It did not mean he had ended his club career. Reports that describe him as a player who retired “from football” after the World Cup leave out that important detail.
Gareth Bale: retirement from playing and Wales
Gareth Bale announced his retirement from professional football in January 2023, following Wales’ group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup. He also ended his international career. Unlike Busquets and Benzema, Bale’s announcement meant he was stopping club football as well as international appearances.
Bale had been a central figure for Wales and helped the team reach its first men’s World Cup in 64 years. His retirement is the clearest example among these names of a player ending his entire playing career after the tournament.
Players who retired later, rather than immediately after the World Cup
Eden Hazard: professional retirement in 2023
Eden Hazard announced his retirement from professional football in October 2023. Belgium had been eliminated in the group stage in Qatar, but Hazard’s retirement was not an announcement made immediately after the World Cup. He had also stopped playing for Belgium before the tournament, following his last international appearance in 2022.
Hazard’s case is useful to keep separate from the immediate post-tournament announcements. He retired from professional football, not just from the national team, and his decision came later. It is fair to include him in a wider list of players whose careers ended after the 2022 World Cup, but not to say the tournament itself triggered a retirement announcement.
Why these distinctions affect the list
Retirement stories are often grouped together because the World Cup prompts questions about a generation of players. But timing and scope change the answer. Busquets and Benzema ended their national-team careers; Bale ended his playing career; Hazard retired months later after already leaving international football.
That means a careful answer should state what the player retired from and when. Without those details, a list can make it sound as though every name quit football immediately after the same final whistle.
International retirement versus retirement from professional football
Use the table below to see what each announcement meant. “After the World Cup” describes the timing in relation to the 2022 tournament, not necessarily an immediate announcement or a stated cause.
| Player | Announcement or timing | What ended | Best description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Busquets | December 2022 | Spain national-team career | International retirement |
| Karim Benzema | December 19, 2022 | France national-team career | International retirement |
| Gareth Bale | January 2023 | Professional and Wales playing career | Full playing retirement |
| Eden Hazard | October 2023 | Professional playing career | Later full playing retirement |
Retirement from international football can be a practical choice. A player may want to reduce travel and match demands, make room for younger teammates, or focus on club commitments. It does not, by itself, mean the player has lost the ability or desire to play professionally.
Professional retirement is broader: the player stops competing for clubs and country. Some players announce both decisions together, while others leave their national team first and continue at club level for years. Always read the wording of the announcement rather than relying on a short headline.
Why a World Cup can lead to retirement decisions
A World Cup is a natural point for players to assess what comes next. It can mark the end of a long international cycle, and many national teams begin rebuilding after a tournament. For an older player, the competition may be the last major event they planned to play.
The demands also differ from a club season. International players travel, train, and compete with teammates who may have limited time together. A player who has spent years balancing club and country may decide that international duty is no longer the right fit.
Still, the tournament is not always the reason a player retires. Injury, club opportunities, family priorities, changes in coaching, or a wish to leave on personal terms may also factor into the decision. Unless a player states a reason, it is better not to guess at one.
A World Cup exit does not prove that a player is retiring. Nor does an emotional interview or a missed penalty confirm a decision. A player can take time to consider what comes next, and an early report can be wrong or incomplete.
How to tell whether a retirement report is confirmed
When a headline claims that a player will retire after a World Cup, check the original statement before treating the claim as fact. A few quick checks can help you separate a confirmed decision from speculation.
- Look for a direct announcement. Check the player’s own statement, verified social account, or an interview in which the player clearly says what they will stop doing.
- Check the scope. Does the statement refer to the national team, a particular club, or all professional football? Those are different decisions.
- Check the date. “After the World Cup” may mean the announcement followed the tournament by months. Make sure the timeline matches the claim.
- Read past the headline. A report may say a player is considering retirement, expects a tournament to be their last, or has already made a final decision. These are not interchangeable.
- Look for a later update. Players sometimes revise an earlier plan. A more recent, direct statement should take precedence over an old prediction.
Practical tip: search for the player’s name alongside “international retirement” or “professional retirement.” That often reveals whether the story concerns their national team only or their entire playing career.
Why future World Cup retirement lists are often unreliable
Before a tournament, commentators may predict which experienced players could retire afterward. Such predictions can be useful as discussion, but they are not a confirmed list. Players may be selected for the next tournament, miss it through injury, or decide to continue beyond it.
Age alone is not proof. A veteran may still want to represent their country, while a younger player may retire early for personal or health reasons. Likewise, a player saying that a tournament “could be” their last is expressing a possibility, not necessarily announcing a settled decision.
For the same reason, an article about a future World Cup should use careful labels: confirmed retirement, stated intention, or media prediction. Treating all three as fact can mislead readers and unfairly present speculation as a player’s decision.
There is also a difference between missing a tournament and retiring. An injury, a coach’s selection choice, or a national team’s failure to qualify can keep a player out without ending their career. Do not infer retirement from absence alone.
What to remember about the post-2022 retirements
The most straightforward names tied to retirements after the 2022 men’s World Cup are Busquets, Benzema, and Bale. Busquets and Benzema retired from international football; Bale retired from professional football and international duty. Hazard belongs in a broader account because he retired professionally in October 2023, but not as an immediate post-tournament announcement.
If you mean a different World Cup, specify the year and whether you mean the men’s or women’s tournament. The phrase “after the World Cup” can refer to different events, and a player’s retirement status may change over time. The clearest answer always names the tournament, gives the announcement date, and says exactly what kind of career ended.
For the 2022 men’s World Cup, Busquets and Benzema retired from international football, Bale retired from professional football, and Hazard retired later in 2023. The distinction matters: leaving a national team is not the same as ending a playing career.
For any future tournament, check for a direct, recent announcement before treating a name as confirmed. The phrase what football players are retiring after the world cup only has a reliable answer once the tournament and the kind of retirement are clear.