FIFA World Cup 2026: 10 players to watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is about to commence and the excitement is reaching unprecedented levels. All top players want to perform at the biggest stages and there is no higher glory than winning the World Cup with your country.
Although this could be the last World Cup for many legendary players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr and they would be grabbing eyeballs at the coveted tournament, we will be skipping their names and take a look at a mix of some young exciting talent along with few experienced players who could set the World Cup stage on fire.
P.S. The stats for the players are taken from transfermarkt.co.in
Here are our ten picks for players to watch out for at the upcoming World Cup –
1. Michael Olise (France)
The 24-year-old French winger has just exploded since his move to Bayern Munich two seasons ago. His impressive performances for the Bundesliga giants have transformed him into one of the top creative talents in Europe. Though he isn’t a guaranteed starter in a star-studded French National team, Olise has all the qualities to make a massive impact for his national team.
Olise had an outstanding season for Bayern Munich in the 2025/26 season, producing an incredible 53 G/A in 52 games for the Bavarians and helping them to a domestic double. His form for Bayern Munich should prompt coach Didier Deschamps to give him a starting role on the right wing but he surely has tough competition with Ousmane Dembele and Rayan Cherki also top contenders for the right-wing position.
Looking at his form and ability though, we believe Olise can be one of the breakout stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and could also end up helping his team win the tournament.
2. Lamine Yamal (Spain)
The 18-year-old Barca sensation broke through in the 2024 Euros Championships, helping Spain win the tournament. Although he was only 16-years-old at the time, he bamboozled everyone with his talent, trickery and skills.
Two full seasons at Barcelona now, winning major silverware (two LaLiga titles) and other domestic titles, Yamal has matured and grown up into a reliable player. He is also the starting winger in Luis de la Fuente’s Spain starting eleven.
Yamal did suffer a serious hamstring injury at the end of LaLiga season but should only miss one or two games and should be fine for the rest of the tournament. Spain is another top contender for the World Cup trophy and Yamal would certainly be a vital player for them if they want to win their second World Cup trophy.
Additionally, he would also draw a lot of fans to the stadium with his exciting playing style and his confident personality. Yamal will definitely be one of the players to watch at this World Cup.
3. Erling Haaland (Norway)
Norwegian super striker Erling Haaland would be the centre of attraction at this year’s World Cup. This is his first senior World Cup appearance as Norway couldn’t manage to qualify for the 2018 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup editions. The Norwegian team will be playing at the World Cup after a hiatus of 28 years and their star striker was a massive reason, scoring an incredible 16 goals in the qualifiers.
Haaland’s domestic campaign went exceedingly well as he won the Premier League golden boot with Manchester City (26 goals) along with the League Cup and the FA Cup trophies and came really close to another league title. He has already won all club-level trophies with Man City including a historic continental treble in the 2022/23 season.
Haaland is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in world football right now and if Norway is to proceed further than the group stages, their top marksman would need to fire big time. Being a top footballer, Haaland will definitely be another big player to watch at the upcoming World Cup.
4. Florian Wirtz (Germany)
Florian Wirtz’s move from the Bundesliga to the English shores might not have set the Premier League on fire but from his previous exploits with Bayer Leverkusen, everyone is aware about his exceptional talent.
Wirtz is pivotal to Julian Naglesmann’s Germany side as he takes up the load of creating and scoring goals for his national team. His big money move to Liverpool may not have panned out well this season as Liverpool FC went through a calamitous domestic campaign. However, Wirtz did show flashes of brilliance in several league and European games and hopes of him performing for the Reds in the upcoming season remain intact.
Wirtz missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to a serious injury and this would be his debut World Cup campaign. With a lot of hopes riding on Germany, Wirtz playing an advanced role could be the decisive factor for Germany going all the way. Therefore, he is our pick for another young talent to watch at this edition of the FIFA Men’s World Cup.
5. Julián Álvarez (Argentina)
The defending champions Argentina has a plethora of talent in their ranks and with an ageing Lionel Messi, Atlético de Madrid’s Julián Álvarez will be the player to watch at this year’s World Cup.
The young centre-forward had already completed football at 22 years old, winning all club level trophies with Man City and international trophies with Argentina when he won the World Cup in 2022. He scored four goals in seven appearances in the previous World Cup in Qatar. However, La Albiceleste would like him to take more responsibility leading the attacking line with Messi probably playing his last World Cup.
His form has been impressive for the Rojiblancos as he contributed 29 G/A in 49 appearances across all competitions for them in the 2025/26 season. Although, Atleti didn’t win any silverware, he helped them to a semi-final in this season’s UCL campaign and also helped them qualify for the Champions League for next season. Álvarez is a top centre-forward, wanted desperately by many top European clubs and will definitely be one of the players who can make a mark at this year’s World Cup.
6. Harry Kane (England)
Harry Kane has been one of the most consistent centre-forwards for club and country and in times of need, he always comes good. Kane is a very underrated footballer due to his quiet persona.
Even at 32-years-old, the Englishman is showing no signs of slowing down as he registered an outstanding season for Bayern Munich, contributing with an outrageous 68 G/A across all competitions. His impact for the Three Lions was undeniable as well as he helped them to an unbeaten qualification campaign with eight goals in eight appearances, scoring winning goals in their last two games.
While the England team has no dearth of talent in all positions on the pitch, Kane remains their most important player if they want to win the World Cup after 60 years. Kane may not be a flashy player like many others but he is damn effective and a world class centre-forward who is capable of scoring incredible goals – key to England’s chances and one to surely watch at this World Cup.
7. Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
If we talk about watching out for players at a World Cup, a Brazilian player certainly has to be there. Vinícius Júnior is definitely one of the most exciting players in Europe and even though Real Madrid might not have fared well this season, Vini Júnior has contributed vital goals, ensuring they remained in the title-race until the end of the season and also qualify for Champions League football next season.
Until the arrival of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid, Vini Jr was the star of Los Blancos’ attacking line. Although Vinicius has won major silverware with Real Madrid, the World Cup trophy still eludes him and his performances for the National Team have been underwhelming so far as he could only manage 2 G/A in 14 appearances. However, we hope that might change this World Cup campaign as he is coming off an impressive LaLiga campaign with 21 G/A in 36 appearances.
Vinícius Júnior’s ability as an attacker is undeniable and he is quite capable of being a match-winner for his side. The Brazilian winger could prove to be a crucial cog in the wheel for Carlo Ancelotti’s side as Brazil look to win the World Cup trophy after 24 years and remains one of the most exciting players to watch at this year’s World Cup.
8. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Morocco surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, a team no one should be taking for granted. Although they have some top-class footballers in their side, their captain Achraf Hakimi is the one who holds the key for their success.
Hakimi has been an important player for Paris Saint-Germain and a lot of their success depends on their flying full-backs under coach Luis Enrique. Even being a full-back, Hakimi’s contribution to their attacking numbers has been immense. Having had another wildly successful season with PSG – winning the French Ligue 1 and consecutive Champions League titles, Hakimi will be looking forward to a successful World Cup campaign as well.
The Atlas Lions also reached the final of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) but lost to Senegal in a controversial manner. Hakimi is a modern-day fullback who contributes both to attack and defence and with Morocco being the top-ranked African side in the competition, Hakimi would definitely draw a lot of eyeballs as their most popular player and captain.
9. Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)
Bruno Fernandes is yet another footballer who will be a focal point of interest in the Portuguese football team besides the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo.
It’s not easy to usurp Ronaldo as the most impactful player in the national side but Fernandes just might achieve that in this World Cup. He has recently broken the record for the most assists in a Premier League season (21 assists) with Manchester United in the 2025/26 season and also helped them to Champions League qualification after a shambolic previous season. He also bagged the PFA Player of the Year for his exploits at the club. Fernandes has also helped his national side in the World Cup qualifiers with goals and assists.
Portugal has produced a lot of talented players in recent years and is definitely one of the contenders for the title this year. For them to go deep in the tournament and even lift an unprecedented first title, Fernandes could be the one to guide them home and being from a globally followed club like Man United, he will definitely have his fair share of fandom at the upcoming World Cup.
10. Jérémy Doku (Belgium)
Manchester City and Belgian winger Jérémy Doku is another player to watch this summer. With his exceptional dribbling skills, close control and vital goals, Doku could be crucial for Belgium to make a mark at the upcoming World Cup.
Doku made vital contributions for Man City with 19 goal contributions in 46 appearances this season and caused a massive headache to the opposition defences with his movement and trickery. His ability to glide past defenders and produce moments of magic cannot be understated. For the Belgium National Team, Doku secured automatic qualification, scoring a brace and bagging in a 7-0 thrashing of Liechtenstein.
Although Belgium has several top players from the top leagues in Europe, with Kevin de Bruyne ageing and becoming injury-prone, the onus of providing goal contributions would lie on Doku and being in decent form for Man City, Doku is certainly going to be watched with massive interest by not only the Belgian and the Man City supporters but also the wider group of football fans.
