Soccer fans, both hardcore and casual, tune in to the World Cup for goals, upsets, and players who become national heroes (or villains) overnight. But it’s been nearly 20 years since the term was popularized, and you may be wondering if WAG still exists.
WAG stands for wife and girlfriend, a concept that comes with baggage. The word first circulated in the UK around 2002 as an abbreviation for the English footballer’s partner. During the 2006 World Cup, the WAG, led by Victoria Beckham, also known as Posh Spice, received more tabloid coverage than their partner players.
Twenty years ago, that tabloid’s coverage focused on where women shopped, what they wore, where they partied, and whether they “distracted themselves” from the game. It was flashy, but it was also reductive.
These days, WAGs are used across sports, from the NFL and NBA to Formula 1 and tennis. But its meaning has also changed. Modern WAGs are more than just people sitting in the stands. She may be an influencer, actor, model, founder, former athlete, reality star, or perhaps the world’s most famous solo pop star (hello, Taylor Swift).
Find out about the 12 soccer WAGs who will dominate the headlines around the 2026 World Cup.
Georgina Rodriguez
Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-time partner and fiancée, Georgina Rodriguez, may be the best blueprint for modern WAG fame. With more than 70 million Instagram followers, a reality show on Netflix, and partnerships with luxury brands over the years, Rodriguez has built an online persona centered around family, motherhood, travel, and beauty, not to mention her stunning engagement ring.
ester exposito
Esther Exposito is the girlfriend of French hero Kylian Mbappé, but that’s not all she’s known for. She is a Spanish actress best known for playing Carla Rozon Caleruega in the Netflix teen drama Elite, the series that helped turn her into an international star.
The 26-year-old’s career spans television, film and fashion. Just last week, Exposito won the International Golden Nymph Award for Most Promising Talent at the Monte Carlo Television Festival.
Bruna Biancardi
Bruna Biancardi was having a very special World Cup even before his partner Neymar took to the field (he eventually made his debut as a substitute in Brazil vs. Scotland). On June 16, Biancardi announced her pregnancy in a collaborative Instagram post and a YouTube video on her popular channel, sharing moments from her life with Neymar and his family.
Antonella Roccuzzo
The wife of legendary Argentine striker Lionel Messi has been a part of Messi’s life since childhood, and one of the reasons people are fascinated by her is their long history together. With over 40 million followers, Roccuzzo works with major fashion, beauty, and sports brands (Adidas, Stella McCartney, Alo, etc.) and is also a great mom.
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Isabel Haugsen Johansen
Isabel Haugsen Johansen and her partner Erling Haaland go back a long way. The two grew up in the same town in Norway and played for local club Bryn FK, where Haaland began his soccer career. They have reportedly been dating since at least 2021 and welcomed their first child, a son, in December 2024.
The couple keeps their family life mostly private, but as Haaland’s fame has grown during this World Cup, so has hers. She also thanked Haaland, who gave glimpses of their off-field lives on his popular Snapchat account, from cooking at home to playing Minecraft together.
Trami Benson
Trami Benson is Bukayo Saka’s fiancée and one of the key faces of football’s new generation of WAGs. The 25-year-old studied public relations and media at Birmingham City University and works in PR and media planning, but has also featured prominently in matches between Arsenal and England. Fans know her for her high-low “sports chic” style, which combines soccer shirts with designer sneakers and high-street pieces.
Benson, who currently has around 300,000 followers on Instagram and works with brands such as River Island, has kept much of his relationship with Saka private, despite dating around 2020 and announcing their engagement in November 2025.
Ashlyn Castro
Castro is an American model, influencer and content creator who has been in a relationship with England international and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham since late 2024. Even before her relationship with Bellingham became public, the California native had already built a strong following through her fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle content on Instagram and TikTok.
She has also been spotted with other celebrities in the past, including Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan and Brooklyn Nets player Terrence Mann.
Tini Stessel
Tini, or Martina, Stossel is an Argentine pop star and actress. She first rose to fame on television and then went on to become one of Argentina’s biggest music stars. Her relationship with Argentina midfielder Rodrigo de Paul has been closely followed since their relationship first surfaced in late 2021, particularly since she was seen supporting him in Qatar during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup appearance.
The couple broke up in 2023, but rekindled their relationship in 2025 and have since become one of Argentina’s biggest celebrity couples.
Gabrielle Miranda
Miranda is a Brazilian model, content creator and social media personality who is married to 19-year-old Real Madrid and Brazil forward Endrik. The two started dating when Endrik was still playing for Palmeiras, and married in 2024, making them one of the hottest young couples in Brazilian football.
Their relationship has garnered a lot of attention online, partly because of their age difference (Miranda is 25) and partly because of their now-famous “love contract”, which includes rules such as always saying “I love you” to each other and never arguing in public.
ashley turner
Ashley Turner (née Herron) is the wife of USMNT goaltender Matt Turner and a former New England Patriots cheerleader. The two met in Boston when Matt was playing for the New England Revolution and Ashley was rooting for the Patriots, and their relationship became a true New England sports crossover before his career progressed to the national team. The couple married in 2022 and has two children, Easton and Everly.
Rima Edbush
The Moroccan influencer and modest fashion creator married French footballer Ousmane Dembele in a traditional Moroccan ceremony in 2021, and their daughter was born the following year. Edbusch posts lifestyle and modest fashion content on TikTok and Instagram, runs his own label Razalae, and has supported Dembele through major moments in his career, including PSG’s Champions League celebrations.
Fernanda Serrano
“Fel” Serrano is the wife of Mexican star Santiago Jimenez and is a celebrity in her own right. She is an accomplished Mexican actress, television host, and social media personality who shares lifestyle content, brand work, travel, and snippets of her daily life online. She and Jimenez reportedly met while playing video games during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two got engaged in 2022 and married in 2024.
Topics
Sports FIFA World Cup
