How to Pronounce the World Cup Stars' Names Correctly

A Sport 5 piece published on June 13, 2026, uses World Cup player intro videos to clear up how several major footballers say their names. The article says the tournament gives fans a chance to learn about different cultures, and one of the surprises is that many well-known names are pronounced differently than they are commonly heard.

Among the examples from Germany, Leroy Sane says his name with a Z sound, closer to “Zane,” and Jonathan Tah explains that the J in German is pronounced like a Y, making his name sound like “Yonatan Tah.” In the Netherlands squad, Jurrien Timber says his name starts with a hard G sound, closer to “Gurian,” while Ryan Gravenberch begins with an H sound, not a G. Cody Gakpo, meanwhile, is not “Khakpo,” but is pronounced with a hard G.

The article also highlights Christian Pulisic, who stressed that his surname does not end with a ts sound, Viktor Gyokeres, whose first name is not pronounced with the initial J sound and does not end with a sh sound, and Riyad Mahrez, who pronounced his name without the H, effectively saying “Marez.” The piece closes by saying the confusion can now stop, referring to the 2026 World Cup.