It’s now or never for Wilfried Zaha: ‘Playing at a World Cup is the dream’

If all goes to plan, 2026 could be a very big year in the career of Wilfried Zaha. The Charlotte FC forward is preparing for his 18th season as a professional - his second in MLS - but he still has a lot on his to-do list.

The 33-year-old is no longer the mercurial talent who caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, nor the virtuoso showman who dazzled on the wing for Crystal Palace.

The current version of Wilfried Zaha is a veteran, a player with more than a decade of elite-level experience who was brought to Charlotte to lead a young club to new heights. He has big ambitions for 2026 and wants to make every game count.

Speaking on Wednesday, Zaha admitted that he can be tough on his teammates, old and young alike: “I think I’m demanding with both, but with the youngsters the way in which I demand comes more with information.”

“I’ll shout and then explain as to why I said that and why it would make a difference... I just try to help where I can. Whoever wants to listen, listen. If you don’t want to, it’s on you.”

‘We lost games, it was like someone died’

The 2025 Charlotte FC season was one of extremes. After a promising start the team stumbled through a run of nine defeats in 11 MLS games, leaving them adrift of the playoff places. They then embarked on a historic nine-game winning streak which catapulted them back into postseason contention.

They entered the playoffs with real optimism but the journey came to a grinding halt with an abject Round One exit against New York City FC, scoring just a single goal across the best-of-three series.

That inconsistency was a major cause of frustration for supporters, who saw their team swing wildly between Wooden Spoon candidates and MLS Cup hopefuls. Heading into 2026, how can Charlotte avoid a similarly tumultuous campaign this time around?

“The only thing I can say is don’t get too high, don’t get too low. Because last season showed it. We lost games and everyone was making out like someone had died. But we’re not all of a sudden the worst team ever.

“We just need to work together, because we have the ability to do what we did, but not think that we made it. That’s the lesson for this season. Just work quietly.”

With less than a month to go until the start of the new MLS season, there is still plenty of work to be done in North Carolina. The team has brought in one high-profile arrival with USMNT midfielder Lucas de la Torre signing from LaLiga side Celta Vigo. Aside from that, the squad at coach Dean Smith’s disposal has remained largely unchanged.

Charlotte are reportedly open to offers for forward Liel Abada, potentially freeing up another designated player spot. Given that Adilson Malanda and Patrick Agyemang have both left for England in the past year there should be cash available to add a top-level striker, helping to ease the goalscoring burden on Zaha.

World Cup Wilf

When the Charlotte players returned for preseason sessions earlier this month, Zaha was a little further ahead in his preparations than the rest of his teammates. While most MLS players were still enjoying an offseason break, Zaha was a part of the Ivory Coast team that made it to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The 33-year-old had a mixed tournament for his nation, scoring a group-stage goal against Gabon but sitting out the team’s eventual loss to Egypt. That was a fourth AFCON tournament for Zaha but he is still yet to appear at the big one; the World Cup.

“I’ve played for my country many times now but that’s a childhood dream to be able to play with your country at the World Cup.”

“I can’t say I know if I’ll be picked yet but if I am that’s definitely something I’ve always wanted to do from when I was young. That would be amazing, wearing the shirt, stepping out representing your country at the World Cup.”

This year’s tournament in North America will almost certainly be Zaha’s final chance to do it, to take part in soccer’s biggest show. To get there he will need to start hot in MLS, and prove himself to be one of the league’s most talented, most dynamic attacking players.

There is no doubt that he can reach those heights. But, as was the case for Charlotte last year, the real challenge will be in sustaining it.

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