10 World Cup winners who have crossed paths with F1

Football’s biggest tournament has produced some of sport’s most recognisable names – and lots of them have been seen around Formula 1 events over the years.

With the latter stages of the 2026 World Cup upon us, let’s look at some of them. From garage visits and grid walks to chequered flag duties and paddock photo calls, here are 10 World Cup winners who have appeared at an F1 weekend...

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi’s place among football’s all-time greats was already secure before Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar, where he helped his country win the trophy for a third time and collected the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

Messi has also been pictured in the F1 paddock, including at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, where he enjoyed being showed him around the Mercedes garage and meeting Kimi Antonelli, George Russell and members of the team.

In another paddock moment, Messi met Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, giving the Argentine driver a much-desired chance to link up with one of his country’s most celebrated sporting figures.

Pele

Pele remains the only player to have won three World Cups, having lifted the trophy with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970. His first title came as a 17-year-old in Sweden, where he became the youngest scorer in men’s World Cup history with the winner against Wales.

He went on to score a hat-trick against France in the semi-final and twice against Sweden in the final, before remaining part of Brazil’s successful 1962 squad and then playing a leading role in the famous 1970 side.

Pele has also been a notable presence at Interlagos. At the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix, he waved the chequered flag as Michael Schumacher won the race, although the flag was shown late.

He returned to the track in 2006, when he presented Schumacher with a trophy recognising his achievements in Formula 1 before the German’s first retirement from the sport.

Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe announced himself on the World Cup stage in 2018, scoring four goals for France – including one in the final – and winning the tournament’s Best Young Player award as Didier Deschamps’ side lifted the trophy in Russia.

Four years later, he scored eight goals in Qatar, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina, as France were beaten on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

Mbappe has also appeared at Grand Prix weekends, including Monaco and Spain. At Monte Carlo in 2024, he waved the chequered flag as Charles Leclerc claimed his first home victory.

Ronaldo

Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, better known simply as Ronaldo, was one of the defining forwards of his era and a two-time World Cup winner with Brazil.

He was part of Brazil’s victorious squad in 1994 and starred at the 1998 tournament, but his finest World Cup moment came in 2002, when he scored eight goals – including both in the final against Germany – as Brazil won a record fifth title.

Ronaldo’s F1 links go back to the 1999 Italian Grand Prix, where he posed with fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in the Monza pits and hopped into car pre-race during Barrichello’s Stewart-Ford season. He has also been to race weekends in Abu Dhabi and Imola as a guest of Ferrari and Red Bull, respectively.

Diego Maradona

Before Messi, Diego Maradona was Argentina’s defining football icon. His 1986 World Cup campaign remains one of the competition’s great individual performances, with five goals and four assists as he led Argentina to the title in Mexico.

Maradona captained his country to their second title that year, which was perhaps best known for his brace against England – the infamous 'Hand of God' goal followed by a majestic solo effort just four minutes later.

He also crossed paths with F1, including at the 1995 Monaco Grand Prix, where he met with Schumacher and Niki Lauda. Elsewhere, in 2014, Maradona linked up with Fernando Alonso to play a charity football game.

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane remains one of France’s greatest players, and his influence has even reached the F1 grid, with Pierre Gasly having cited him as the inspiration for racing with the number 10.

Zidane was central to France’s first World Cup win in 1998, scoring twice in the final against Brazil, before returning to the final in 2006, when France were beaten by Italy on penalties.

In F1, Zidane has been connected with Alpine. He took part in their car launch in 2023 and has attended several Monaco Grand Prix weekends. He was also part of the Sprint trophy presentation at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen took victory.

Mario Gotze

Mario Gotze will always be associated with one of Germany’s greatest football moments, having scored the winner against Argentina in extra time at the 2014 World Cup final.

Gotze visited the F1 paddock at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, where he and members of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning squad – including Lukas Podolski and Mats Hummels – met Audi's Nico Hulkenberg and swapped shirts with the German driver.

Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero was part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad and played an important role late in the tournament, scoring in the semi-final against Germany before converting his penalty in the shoot-out victory over France.

Del Piero has been spotted at several Grands Prix, including in Monza. The former Juventus forward was on flag-waving duty as Leclerc delivered a Ferrari victory at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.

Roberto Carlos

Known for his powerful free-kicks and attacking threat from left-back, Roberto Carlos was a key figure in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning team, having also helped his country reach the final in 1998.

Like Ronaldo, Carlos has been enjoying F1 since retirement, including at Grand Prix weekends where he crossed paths with Alonso (Brazil 2022) and Carlos Sainz (Miami 2025). He was in the paddock at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix alongside other football figures – including England’s Jude Bellingham.

Sergio Busquets

Sergio Busquets was a key part of the Spain side that won the country’s first World Cup in 2010, providing control and balance in midfield alongside players including Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Pedro.

Busquets has also made a few F1 appearances, including visits to the Miami International Autodrome and the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, watching Lewis Hamilton take his first Grand Prix win for Ferrari.