FIFA World Cup 2026: 10 players to watch

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is about to commence, and the excitement is reaching peak levels. All top players want to perform at the biggest stage of all, and there is no higher glory than winning the World Cup for your country.

This could be the last World Cup for many legendary players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar Júnior, who will undoubtedly be grabbing eyeballs at the coveted tournament, though here we are taking a look at other names — a mix of some young, exciting talent along with a few experienced players who could set the World Cup stage on fire.

Here are our picks for the ten players to watch out for at the upcoming World Cup.

Note: The stats for the players are taken from Transfermarkt.

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 goals and assists combined 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 faces tough competition, with Ousmane Dembélé and Rayan Cherki also top contenders for the right-wing position.

Looking at his form and ability, we believe Olise can be one of the breakout stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and may even end up helping Les Bleus win the tournament.

Lamine Yamal | Spain

The 18-year-old Barça sensation arrived onto the international stage with a breakout campaign at the Euros two years ago, helping Spain win the tournament. Although he was only 16 at the time, he bamboozled everyone with his talent, trickery, and skills, proving once the old adage: “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”

With two full senior seasons at Barcelona under his belt, having won major silverware, Yamal has matured into a reliable operator out wide and is now the starting winger in Luis de la Fuente’s side. Yamal suffered a serious hamstring injury towards the end of last season, but he is expected to miss only one or two games and should be fine for the rest of the tournament.

Spain are one of the top contenders for the World Cup trophy, and Yamal is certainly a vital player they will rely on as they hunt for a second World Cup trophy. Yamal will also unquestionably draw a lot of fans to the stadium with his exciting playing style and confident personality.

Erling Haaland | Norway

Norwegian super striker Erling Haaland will also be a major attraction at this year’s World Cup, which will be his first senior World Cup appearance, as Norway didn’t qualify for the 2018 and 2022 editions. In fact, Norway return to the World Cup after a hiatus of 28 years, and their star striker has been a massive reason behind it, scoring an incredible 16 goals during the qualifiers.

Haaland’s domestic campaign also went exceedingly well, as he won the Premier League Golden Boot with Manchester City (26 goals) and picked up League Cup and FA Cup medals, having also come close to another Premier League title. He has already won all major 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 are to progress further than the group stage, their top marksman will need to fire once again.

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 of his exceptional talent.

Wirtz is pivotal to Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany side as he takes up the load of creating while also scoring goals. His big-money move to Liverpool may not have panned out well this season, as the Reds went through a calamitous campaign by their standards. However, Wirtz did show flashes of brilliance in several games, and hopes of him performing for the team in the upcoming season remain intact.

Wirtz missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to a serious injury, making this his debut World Cup campaign. With a lot of hopes riding on Germany, Wirtz playing an advanced role could be the decisive factor in their going all the way.

Julián Alvarez | Argentina

Defending champions Argentina have a plethora of talent in their ranks, and with an ageing Lionel Messi, Atlético Madrid’s Julián Alvarez will be one of their players to watch at this year’s World Cup.

One would say Alvarez completed football three seasons ago, winning all major club-level trophies with Man City and lifting the World Cup with Argentina. He scored four goals in seven appearances in the previous World Cup in Qatar. This time, however, the Albiceleste would like him to take even more responsibility and lead the attack, with Messi probably playing his last World Cup.

The 26-year-old’s form has been impressive for Atleti. He contributed 29 goals and assists combined in 49 appearances across all competitions for them in the 2025/26 season. Although the Rojiblancos didn’t win any silverware, he helped them reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and qualify for the competition 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.

Harry Kane | England

Harry Kane has been one of the most consistent centre-forwards for club and country; in times of need, he always comes good. In many ways, Kane is a very underrated footballer due to his quiet persona. 

Even at 32, the Englishman is showing no signs of slowing down and registered an outstanding season for Bayern Munich, contributing an outrageous 68 goals and assists combined across all competitions. His impact for the Three Lions was undeniable as well, as he helped them to an unbeaten World Cup qualification campaign with eight goals in eight appearances, scoring winning goals in their last two games.

While the England national team have 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. He may not be a flashy player like many of his counterparts, but he is just as effective, if not more, and a world-class forward capable of scoring incredible goals. 

Vinícius Júnior | Brazil

You cannot have a list of players to watch out for at a World Cup and not mention someone from the Brazilian national team. This time around, Vinícius Júnior beats his several also-very-noteworthy teammates to that honour.

Vini is one of the most exciting players in Europe, and even though Real Madrid might not have fared well last season, he continued contributing with vital goals, ensuring Los Blancos remained in the title race in La Liga towards the end and qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League. 

Until the arrival of Kylian Mbappé, Vini Jr was the star of Real Madrid’s attacking line. Although he has already won major silverware with Real Madrid several times over, the World Cup trophy eludes him, and his performances for the national team have been underwhelming as well. However, that might change this World Cup, as he is coming off an impressive LaLiga campaign, in which he registered 22 goals and assists combined 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 as Brazil look to win the World Cup trophy after 24 years.

Achraf Hakimi | Morocco

Morocco surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This time, no team will be taking them for granted. Although they have some top-class footballers in their side, their captain Achraf Hakimi is the one who holds the key to their success. 

Hakimi has been an important player for Paris Saint-Germain. A lot of their success depends on their flying fullbacks under coach Luis Enrique. Despite being a fullback first and foremost, Hakimi’s contribution to PSG’s attack has been immense. After another wildly successful season with the Parisians, having won the French Ligue 1 and a second Champions League title, Hakimi will be looking forward to a successful World Cup campaign for his country.

The Atlas Lions reached the final of the home AFCON earlier this year, and while they lost on the night to Senegal in a controversial manner, the latest development in said controversy has handed them the continental crown, though appeals are underway.

Hakimi is a modern-day fullback who contributes both to attack and defence. With Morocco being the top-ranked African side in the competition, the 27-year-old will definitely draw a lot of eyeballs as their most popular player and captain.

Bruno Fernandes | Portugal 

Bruno Fernandes is yet another footballer who will be a 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 recently broke the record for the most assists in a Premier League season (21 assists) with Manchester United in the 2025/26 season, helping them to Champions League qualification after a shambolic campaign the year before. He also bagged the PFA Player of the Year award for his exploits, while contributing to Portugal’s World Cup qualification with vital goals and assists. 

Portugal has produced a lot of talented players in recent years, and the Seleção das Quinas are definitely one of the contenders for the title this year. For them to go deep in the tournament and lift an unprecedented first title, Fernandes could be the one to guide them home. Being from a globally followed club like Man United, he will definitely have his fair share of fandom at the World Cup.

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 World Cup.

Doku made vital contributions for Man City during the recently concluded season, registering 22 goal contributions in 47 appearances this season and causing 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. Doku helped De Rode Duivels secure automatic qualification, most notably scoring a brace and bagging an assist in a 7–0 thrashing of Liechtenstein.

Although Belgium have several top players from top leagues in Europe, players like Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are ageing and have become injury-prone, so the onus of providing goal contributions will lie ever more on Doku. And given he has been in decent form for Man City, he is certainly going to be watched with massive interest by not only the Belgian and Man City fans, but also the wider public.