Ten players who could steal the show at the 2026 World Cup

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Brace yourselves, the World Cup countdown officially starts… now.

In precisely 367 days, the 2026 edition will kick off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with the tournament being hosted across three nations for the first time. To mark the upcoming milestone, The Athletic has a week of content lined up, looking ahead to the expanded 48-team World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Having 16 more teams means even more of the globe’s best players can showcase their talents on the biggest stage, but who do we expect to be the protagonists next summer?

Some names might be obvious, others might not have even earned their first international cap or play for countries whose qualification hangs in the balance. It’s a tricky assignment, but it is fun to try.

So, almost one year out, this is The Athletic’s shortlist of those predicted — or expected — to light up World Cup 2026.

Jude Bellingham – England 

Remarkably, next summer will be Bellingham’s fourth major tournament for his country. 

At 17 years and 349 days old, Bellingham was the youngest player to feature at a European Championship — a record that Kacper Kozlowski and then Lamine Yamal have since broken — and will still be a couple of weeks away from his 23rd birthday when the 2026 World Cup begins.

Jude Bellingham won his 41st England cap against Albania in March (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The challenge for Tuchel will be getting Bellingham into areas of the pitch that maximise his strengths. England reached the final of Euro 2024, but there was a stodginess to their game throughout the knockout stages as they struggled to progress the ball smoothly to their difference-makers at the top of the team.

To get the most out of Bellingham, he needs the requisite freedom to make those penetrating runs behind an opponent’s defence or to attack the box from deep — the “motorbike run”, as Carlo Ancelotti called them — that he has honed at Real Madrid.

Looking at Bellingham’s SkillCorner off-ball run profile, he is among the most active midfielders in Europe in making those runs into the penalty area to meet a cross (as shown by his cross receiver score of 93 out of 99), but broadly speaking, the Englishman does his best work when moving away from the ball to receive a pass in advanced areas.

Bellingham already knows what it takes to puff your chest out and drag your nation out of the mire when they need you the most. “Who else?” was the question Bellingham posed to the camera after an acrobatic overhead kick in stoppage time pulled England level in their round of 16 meeting with Slovakia.

Other English talents could easily make this list, but really — as ever with Bellingham — it just had to be him.

Mark Carey

Lamine Yamal – Spain 

We’re quickly running out of superlatives for Yamal, very possibly the best player in the world at 17. He has already starred at a major international competition, too — one that his country won — giving Spain the lead with a sensational curling strike against France in the semi-final of Euro 2024 before teeing up Nico Williams after an elusive run in the final.

He is a winger who gets the pulse racing — genuinely unpredictable and always inquisitive with his two-way dribbling and eye for a pass.

At 17 years old, Lamine Yamal is already a global star (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

No player in Europe’s top five leagues took more touches in the attacking third last season or completed more than his 161 take-ons. Only Kylian Mbappe took more shots and only Mohamed Salah provided more open-play assists. A reminder — he is 17. 

Yamal invariably left his mark on big games last year, scoring or assisting in all four clashes with Real Madrid and popping up with a magical goal in the Champions League semi-finals against Inter. But it’s his joyous approach to dribbling — brimming with tricks and flicks, so expressive and smooth on the ball — that makes this winger worth watching. As we can see from his progressive carries chart below, defenders rarely know which way to go.

Yamal’s brilliance is uncontainable and he is as safe a bet as any to put on a show next summer.

Thom Harris

Florian Wirtz – Germany

Where Wirtz will be playing his club football next season has dominated much of the transfer window discourse, but next summer, his focus will be firmly on grabbing the attention on the pitch.

In Wirtz, Germany have a genuinely world-class talent in their ranks, the kind of player with enough quality to paper over the cracks that have seen the 2014 champions crash out in the group stage at the past two World Cups.

Florian Wirtz during Germany’s Nations League semi-final defeat against Portugal last week (Alexandra Beier/AFP via Getty Images)

Capable of beating his man, picking out a defence-splitting pass and finishing with razor-sharp precision, the 22-year-old is the complete attacking midfielder. But what truly sets him apart is his ability to consistently find — and then ruthlessly exploit — pockets of space all over the pitch.

Data from SkillCorner reveals that no player in Europe’s top four leagues received the ball more often between defensive lines last campaign. In international football, where limited training time can often lead to more open defensive structures, the way he finds space and then plays incisive passes becomes even more valuable. 

Former Bayern Munich and Germany forward Thomas Muller was similarly devastating at exploiting space on the international stage, winning the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Muller described his role as a “Raumdeuter”, roughly translating as “space interpreter”. 

Wirtz shares that feel for space and elevates it with greater dynamism and a more physically imposing style. If Germany rekindle the glory of their international heyday, expect him to be at the centre of it.

Conor O’Neil

Omar Marmoush – Egypt

Egypt are almost qualified for their fourth World Cup and while Mohamed Salah remains the undisputed star of this team, the all-action Marmoush headlines a potent supporting cast.

The 26-year-old hit the ground running after joining Manchester City in January, scoring eight goals across all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s side, adding real zip to an inconsistent front line. 

Omar Marmoush will be a crucial part of Egypt’s plans if they qualify (Mohamed Tageldin/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

His movement is lively and sharp — only Erling Haaland made more runs in behind for City in the Premier League than Marmoush, despite only being there for half the season — and everything he does on the ball is crisp and clean. 

As illustrated from his shot map below, taking in his electric start to the 2024-25 season at Eintracht Frankfurt, Marmoush is happy striking the ball across the width of the penalty box.

Included in his collection of 20 non-penalty league goals were two pinpoint free kicks in Germany, a venomous strike against Brighton & Hove Albion, and a goal-of-the-season contender against Bournemouth, sending the ball dipping and swerving towards the top corner from all of 35 yards.

A moment of magic from Omar Marmoush.

The Egyptian rifles home his seventh Premier League goal with an absolute rocket.

Is that the goal of the season? #MCFC | #AFCB | #MCIBOU

🎥 @SkySportsPL pic.twitter.com/6YLdKAgQ7G

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 20, 2025

In short, Marmoush is a handful, averaging over four shots a game, darting around the final third, dropping into pockets of space and charging in behind. 

Egypt are Africa’s most successful footballing nation, yet are still to progress past the group stage at a World Cup.

With Salah turning 34 on day five of the 2026 World Cup and Marmoush coming off his best season, it feels as good a time as any to make history.

Thom Harris

Joao Neves – Portugal 

In the best way possible, Neves is a little bit of everything when you compare him to Portugal’s current midfield crop: the tough-tackling Joao Palhinha, the creative Bruno Fernandes, the conducting Vitinha, the all-action Ruben Neves.

Joao Neves proved to be one of the missing puzzle pieces for Paris Saint-Germain to finally win the Champions League. He arrived in the French capital last summer and played as one of the ‘No 8s’ (central midfielders) in Luis Enrique’s 4-3-3.

Joao Neves has only recently broken into Portugal’s starting XI (Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Eight Ligue 1 assists showed the 20-year-old’s creativity, with a particular penchant for a through ball. When Ousmane Dembele, PSG’s false nine, would drop in, Neves was often the one who pushed forward to pin opposition centre-backs.

He played more than 3,700 minutes in 52 matches for PSG last season, winning an unprecedented quadruple. He made a reputation, despite his diminutive size (5ft 7in/174cm), for being aggressive in defence. His 57 tackles are the most by any player in a Champions League season since 2007-08 — the 14-cap Portugal international was born in 2004.

Even with the depth and array of midfield talent, it would be a real surprise if Roberto Martinez did not construct his Portugal midfield around Joao Neves and PSG team-mate Vitinha next summer.

Liam Tharme

Desire Doue – France

Doue, like PSG team-mate Neves, has already scaled the mountain in club football.

He scored twice in the Champions League final, scooping UEFA’s man of the match award, to help Paris Saint-Germain become the kings of Europe for the first time, all before his 20th birthday. 

Desire Doue made his second cap for France last week (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Doue has been on the scene for a while now, breaking through at Rennes and getting two full Ligue 1 seasons under his belt before moving to the French capital. Few fans will need reminding, but the Frenchman’s versatility to play anywhere across the front line is a hallmark of PSG’s fluid attacking approach and is a trait to be admired.

Whether you are picking him up on the left or right wing, he will run at you with speed. Such directness is shown below in Doue’s forward carries, highlighting just how much the 20-year-old makes a beeline for the penalty area upon receiving the ball on either touchline.

Doue has only played three times for France’s senior team, making his debut in the Nations League quarter-finals against Croatia in March. It speaks to the glut of talent at the disposal of Didier Deschamps, who can choose between Mbappe, Dembele, Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Doue.

Whichever way Deschamps approaches it, you would strongly suspect that Doue will have a few more caps to his name by next summer. He needs a bigger stage and the World Cup in 2026 could provide it.

Mark Carey

Nico Paz – Argentina

A burgeoning reputation as one of Europe’s best young attackers, developed by a Spanish superclub, and previously having the option to represent Spain before choosing Argentina — haven’t we heard this one before?

Paz’s early career trajectory certainly echoes that of his idol, Lionel Messi, and the comparisons don’t stop there. Like Messi, Paz is fearless in possession. His 135 take-on attempts topped the Serie A charts this season. 

Nico Paz, continuing the tradition of left-footed attackers for Argentina (Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images)

A product of Real Madrid’s academy, Paz joined Como for €6million ($6m; £5m at current exchange rates) last summer and has flourished under Cesc Fabregas. He combines a cultured left foot with clever movement and excellent balance, qualities that earned him the award for best under-23 player in Serie A.

But Paz is a different kind of player from Messi: more focused on stitching attacks together than arriving in the box to finish them off. He recorded the joint-fourth-most assists in Serie A this season (eight), and when scanning across all players under 20 in Europe’s top four leagues, only Yamal registered more.

He instantly demonstrated this playmaking during his international debut against Bolivia last October, laying on an assist for Messi. Post-match, Messi praised Paz as having a “perfect understanding of the game”, already looking like a great fit for Lionel Scaloni’s flexible attacking system.

Qatar 2022 is remembered as Messi’s crowning glory, but Argentina’s triumph was also shaped by an underrated supporting cast that included Emiliano Martinez, Alexis MacAllister and Julian Alvarez. Paz already looks like a welcome next addition as they embark on a quest to defend their title.

Conor O’Neill

Andrey Santos – Brazil

Across the border, Brazil have an intriguing midfielder on their hands.

Collar up, socks pulled high, Santos is as tenacious and full-blooded as they come, tearing into tackles and relentlessly hunting down the ball. He is also, despite averaging just 6.7 touches in the attacking third for Strasbourg last season — leaving him in the bottom six per cent of Ligue 1 midfielders — a regular goalscorer from deep.

Andrey Santos was part of Carlo Ancelotti’s first Brazil squad (Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images)

You won’t often see Santos dictating play with the ball at his feet, he is more of a disruptor than a tempo-setter. But most of what the 21-year-old does in possession makes a difference, from searing shots outside the penalty area to driving runs through the heart of midfield.

His assist against Nice was a neat encapsulation of the Brazilian’s end-to-end game: aggressive as he stepped out to nick the ball from centre-back Moises Bombito, decisive as he rolled it through for team-mate Samuel Amo-Ameyaw to score.

Ancelotti already seems impressed with Santos, calling him a “complete midfielder” in the build-up to Brazil’s 0-0 draw with Ecuador before handing him his competitive international debut in that game.

Given how the Italian worked with Bellingham at Real Madrid, with other options, including Bruno Guimaraes, Andre, Gerson and Casemiro, capable of locking down a three-man midfield, expect to see Santos tearing up and down the pitch next summer.

Thom Harris

Kenan Yildiz – Turkey

Turkey have a battle on their hands to progress out of their World Cup qualification group. 

Spain are understandably the favourites to top Group E, meaning qualification via the play-offs might be Turkey’s best route to next summer’s tournament. If they are going to stand a fighting chance of progression, they will need their star players to pull them through. 

Many will point to Real Madrid’s Arda Guler as their main character, but Yildiz is putting up a similar fight to become his nation’s most coveted talent. After extending his contract at Juventus until 2029 last summer, Yildiz took the iconic No 10 shirt worn by some of the greatest players in the club’s history, including Alessandro Del Piero and Roberto Baggio — but having just turned 20, there is still so much to be excited about when watching him play.

Kenan Yildiz is growing in stature for club and country (M Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Fleet-footed, fearless and forward-thinking, Yildiz is a box of tricks in his desire to dribble past his opponent. His 111 take-on attempts were more than any other Juventus player in Serie A this season, often looking to drive forward with the ball after committing his man. 

He normally causes his damage from the left (illustrated below), but Yildiz’s poise and balance mean he can operate anywhere across the attacking midfield line or even as a second striker.

Yildiz, like Guler, has amassed 20 international caps for his country with a modest return of two goals.

Yildiz has already experienced major international tournament football after helping Turkey to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. Anything close to a similar campaign next year — if Turkey make it — and you would suspect that Yildiz will be in the limelight.

Mark Carey

Johnny Cardoso – United States

Last month, as the U.S. men’s national team began to gear up for the Gold Cup, boss Mauricio Pochettino issued a rallying cry to his squad, telling the press how his players “need to fight” and “show attitude”. The hosts’ preparations have been far from smooth, with patchy form culminating in a dismal Concacaf Nations League campaign where Panama knocked them out in the semi-finals.

One player who certainly can’t be accused of lacking fight or showing a meek attitude is Cardoso. The Real Betis midfielder has been one of the most combative and tenacious performers in Europe this season, embodying the exact spirit Pochettino wants to instil. 

Johnny Cardoso showing his tenacity in a friendly against Turkey last week (Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)

Aggressive in winning the ball back, Cardoso is fourth across Europe’s top four leagues in interceptions per 1,000 opposition touches this season.

But Cardoso isn’t just a snappy defensive midfielder. Having played as a striker in his youth, he brings technical quality to match his bite. He’s capable of raking long passes, spinning on the half-turn and influencing play higher up the pitch. His assured displays helped Betis reach their first-ever European final, a run that ended in a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Conference League decider.

If the USMNT are to progress to the latter stages of the tournament and compete with the world’s best, they’ll need to withstand long spells without the ball. Having a player who can win it back and keep it under pressure could prove invaluable.

Conor O’Neill

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

This news was originally published on this post .

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