Off The Pitch Gossips
World Cup WAGs: Rest of the World
Last Updated on 9 June 2026
The World 2026 Cup belongs not only to the usual giants. Norway arrive at their first tournament in 28 years, Croatia bring the legend of Luka Modric for one final bow, and Sweden carry one of the most explosive strike partnerships on the planet.
Behind each of those squads stand women with extraordinary stories of their own.
Here are six of the most compelling WAGs from the wider world heading to North America this World Cup.
Isabel Johansen: The woman who texted Erling Haaland first
Most people wait for Erling Haaland to make the first move. Isabel Johansen did not. She and Haaland were teenagers at the same club in Norway, when she sent him a message. “She was the one who checked me out.” Haaland told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
“I wasn’t the one who checked her out,” confessed Haaland. Now, Isabel is a footballer herself, which helps explain why their relationship has always felt grounded rather than glamorous. The couple welcomed their first child in late 2024 and Isabel is a part of Manchester City’s WAGs.
They play Minecraft together. They share a love of kebabs and when Premier League defenders leave scratch marks on Haaland’s body, Isabel, in his own words, is “not so happy about it, it looks a bit wrong.” She is, in short, exactly what the world’s best striker needed.
Helene Spilling: The ballroom champion who conquered Arsenal
Helene Spilling did not fall into football by accident. She arrived as a star in her own right. A ballroom dancer with 17 national titles to her name, she won Skal vi danse, Norway’s version of Strictly Come Dancing, in 2021, becoming a household name across Scandinavia.
She and Martin Odegaard quietly married in a civil ceremony in November 2024, welcomed their son in December, then threw the celebration the world had been waiting for in June 2025, a lavish ceremony in Norway attended by Arsenal stars.
Helene runs her own dance studio and athleisure line, DAVAY, from their home in London. Moreover, she has already gone viral among Arsenal fans for celebrating goals. Therefore, when Norway arrive in USA, the stands will be worth watching almost as much as the pitch.
Vanja Bosnic: The agent who built Luka Modric’s career
Vanja Bosnic did not merely marry Luka Modric. In many ways, she built him. The couple met in 2007 at the Mamic Sports Agency in Zagreb, where Vanja worked as a manager and Modric was a client. Their relationship grew from a professional connection into something deeper.
They married in 2010, Modric’s then-international teammate Vedran Corluka was best man, and have since raised three children: Ivano, Ema and Sofia. Then, in 2012, Vanja did something remarkable. She negotiated her husband’s £30 million transfer to Real Madrid.
It remains one of the most consequential deals in football history. He would go on to win six Champions League titles, a Ballon d’Or and remains one of the greatest midfielder of his time. Now, she arrives at what is Modric’s final World Cup as the architect of an extraordinary story.
Izabel Kovacic: The Croatian Shakira who does everything
Croatia’s media gave Izabel Kovacic her nickname, “the Croatian Shakira”, for her long, curly blonde hair. However, the label barely scratches the surface of who she actually is. She and Mateo met as teenagers in a church, where he was an altar boy and she was in the choir.
They married in 2017 in the same church, full circle in the most romantic sense, and had their son Ivan in 2020. Meanwhile, Luka Modric became Ivan’s godfather, tying the two Croatian Man City teammates together in the most personal way possible.
Izabel herself studied economics in Zagreb, founded eco-friendly baby brand Lunilou in 2015 alongside her sister, and subsequently launched her own sustainable womenswear label, IZAKOVA.
Ines Aguiar: Gyokeres’ reconciliation romance
Viktor Gyokeres’ move to Arsenal was brilliant for his career. For his relationship, it was fatal. Portuguese actress Ines Aguiar and Gyokeres had been together for several years, but reports suggested the transition had placed serious strain on the couple. They split.
Then, in March 2026, Ines posted photographs from a trip to London. Gyokeres liked them. The Portuguese press noticed immediately. Shortly after, they were confirmed to be back together: the reconciliation as public and undeniable as the split had been.
Since then, Ines has been a regular presence at the Emirates, often sitting alongside Helene Spilling in the stands. As a result, Arsenal have arguably the most photogenic WAG pairing in the Premier League. And, you can expect Sweden to have some of that firepower in USA, too.
Maja Nilsson Lindelof: The WAG who photographed a prince
Maja Nilsson Lindelof has been called the Premier League’s hottest WAG: twice, by two separate outlets, in two separate seasons. However, her most memorable moment of 2025-26 had nothing to do with her incredible fashion brand or fame. It had to do with Prince William.
After Aston Villa’s Europa League victory in Istanbul in May 2026, Maja photographed the heir to the British throne at the afterparty, visibly letting his hair down, and posted it to Instagram with the Swedish caption “Spåra ur direkt,” meaning roughly “goes off the rails immediately.”
The internet subsequently lost its mind. It is, admittedly, a fitting headline for a woman whose life has rarely lacked for drama. And, it seems certain that she’ll be bringing that drama to North America for the World Cup.
Lu Mastrovic: The vet student winning Josko Gvardiol’s heart
Josko Gvardiol spent Christmas Eve in the centre of Zagreb. He was photographed in an embrace with an attractive blonde. Croatia immediately wanted to know who she was. Her name, confirmed shortly after by Croatian outlet Teleskop, is Lu Mastrovic.
She is 20 and currently studying veterinary medicine. As a child, she trained taekwondo. Now, when her faculty schedule permits, she works as a ski instructor. Their first public appearance together came at the 10th anniversary party of Izabel Kovacic’s brand Lunilou.
Lu is completely private. Nevertheless, she arrives at this World Cup as one of the most talked-about new faces in the entire tournament. Gvardiol, meanwhile, heads into the biggest competition of his life with a smile that even a tibia fracture could not extinguish.
Alexa Melton: The golfer who almost derailed Pulisic’s World Cup
Christian Pulisic arrives at his home World Cup single, focused and, by his own admission, occasionally miserable when football consumes everything. His relationship with professional golfer Alexa Melton: whom he met after sliding into her DMs in summer 2025.
All that ended messily in April 2026. She reacted to a viral post suggesting he had been active on celebrity dating app Raya. She commented publicly. Then she apologised, acknowledging the post was outdated and stating clearly: “He is not a cheater.”
Pulisic maintained,”I only look at her in the most positive way, she was a lot of fun and she supported me in every way.” There were also Sydney Sweeney rumours. He denied them firmly. Therefore, he heads into the most important tournament of his career with his personal life tidied up, his reputation intact and, reportedly, no one waiting in the stands.
Chloe Ortolano: Gio Reyna’s college footballer turned bride
Not every World Cup romance arrives with drama. Gio Reyna and Chloe Ortolano married in July 2025: quietly, happily and with barely a tabloid in sight. Chloe played college football, which makes her arguably the most footballing spouse in the entire USA camp.
The couple’s approach to public life stands in sharp contrast to some of their teammates’ headlines. As Reyna steps up to take his place in what could be the USA’s golden generation, Chloe Ortolano is consequently the clean, wholesome love story this tournament needed.
Sarah Schmidt: Tyler Adams’ wife, the Prem’s most patient partner
Tyler Adams has spent the last three years being injured, operated on, recovering, returning briefly, and getting injured again. Through every single frustrating chapter, Sarah Schmidt has been there. The couple met in Leipzig in 2018 and went public in 2019.
They married in July 2025, captioning their seaside wedding photos simply: “Been a long time coming. The Adams.” Together, they have two sons: Jaxon, born January 2024, and Myles Hudson, born October 2025.
Sarah maintains a low-key Instagram presence and remains one of the perfect silent support WAG stories of all time. Additionally, she gave birth to their second son and then watched her husband get selected for this World Cup squad within weeks.
Sheyenne Jen: The singer who replaced football’s greatest power couple
When Alphonso Davies and Jordyn Huitema split in 2022, football lost one of its great power couples: two Canadian internationals, an 800,000-subscriber YouTube channel, a five-year love story. Then Davies moved on. In 2023, he began dating Sheyenne Jen.
A 24-year-old interior architecture student and singer who performs under the name SheyJ. On New Year’s Day 2025, he announced their engagement on Instagram: a black-and-white image of her diamond ring, captioned simply “Happy New Year.”
They attended Oktoberfest together twice and got engaged in Dubai. As Davies captains Canada at their home World Cup, SheyJ will be watching: privately, as always.
