| MARADONA | Argentinian footballer who led Argentina to a World Cup victory in 1986 (5,8) |
| DIEGO | And 16 Across Argentinian footballer who led Argentina to a World Cup victory in 1986 (5,8) |
| DIEGOMARADONA | Footballer who led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico (5,8) |
| FRANK | Identify the first name of this English footballer who led the side in the final group encounter versus Costa Rica on June 24, 2014. (5) |
| LLORIS | Hugo, Tottenham Hotspur FC goalkeeper who captained France to World Cup victory in 2018 (6) |
| PIENAAR | Francois ____ captained the Springboks to world cup victory in 1995 (7) |
| GALWAYIRELAND | Home to a world famous bay |
| CLARKE | Michael ___, cricketer who captained Australia to a World Cup win in 2015 (6) |
| EMILIANOSALA | Argentinian footballer who died in a plane crash in 2019 |
| EMLYN | - Hughes, late football star who led Liverpool to FA Cup victory in 1974 (5) |
| MESSI | Lionel, Argentinian footballer who moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain FC in 2021 (5) |
| RAICH | ..... Carter, England international forward who helped Sunderland to an FA Cup victory in 1937 (5) |
| SURYAKUMAR | First name of India's captain who led the team to the 2026 T20 World Cup victory. (10) |
| CAYLESS | Led Kiwis to historic 2008 rugby league World Cup victory V Australia (7) |
| PKS | Dramatic end to a World Cup game, for short |
| LIONEL | ____ Messi, Argentinian footballer who joined Inter Miami in 2023 (6) |
| KHAN | Pakistan cricket captain in their 1992 World Cup victory (5,4) |
| IMRAN | Pakistan cricket captain in their 1992 World Cup victory (5,4) |
| MAIER | Sepp, West Germany's goalkeeper in their 1974 football World Cup victory (5) |
| NIL | Zero, to a World Cup announcer |
