2026 FIFA World Cup: Every team's star player | OneFootball

By Dylan Butler

From Pelé and Diego Maradona to Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the best players in the world deliver on the world's biggest stage.

The FIFA World Cup provides an opportunity for legends to be made and stars to step into the spotlight.

So, who will shine at the 2026 edition? Here are some candidates, team by team.

Group A

Mexico

Raúl Jiménez

Jiménez is competing in his fourth World Cup and is El Tri's third all-time leading scorer. After rising through Club América youth ranks, the forward competed for Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham.

South Africa

Ronwen Williams

Bafana Bafana's captain, Williams is set to compete in his first World Cup. He was named African Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024.

South Korea

Son Heung-Min

LAFC's global superstar is South Korea's all-time leader in appearances (145) and second in goals (56). The former Tottenham Hotspur star wears the captain's armband for the Taegeuk Warriors and is making his fourth World Cup appearance.

Czech Republic

Patrik Schick

A two-time Czechia Footballer of the Year, Schick is set to compete in his first World Cup. He helped lead Bayer 04 Leverkusen to the German Bundesliga title and joined Cristiano Ronaldo as the joint top-scorer at UEFA Euro 2020.

Group B

Canada

Alphonso Davies

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC product is a bona fide superstar at one of the world's biggest clubs. Davies is a seven-time German Bundesliga champion and captured the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Champions League titles with Bayern Munich.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Edin Džeko

A four-time Golden Boot winner, Džeko is Bosnia's all-time leading scorer with 73 goals. The "Bosnian Diamond" is well-decorated, having won silverware with Manchester City, Inter Milan and VfL Wolfsburg.

Qatar

Almoez Ali

Qatar's all-time leading scorer, Ali is appearing in his second World Cup. He was named MVP of the 2019 Asian Cup and is the only Qatari player to ever score in three different intercontinental tournaments (AFC Asian Cup, Copa América and Concacaf Gold Cup).

Switzerland

Granit Xhaka

A captain for club and country, the defensive midfielder is set to compete in his fourth World Cup. Xhaka has won silverware almost everywhere he's played (FC Basel 1893, Arsenal FC, Bayer 04 Leverkusen).

Group C

Brazil

Vinícius Júnior

Considered one of the best players in the world, Vinícius Júnior is set to lead Brazil in a second World Cup appearance. The Real Madrid winger was named the Best FIFA Men's Player in 2024 and finished second to Spanish midfielder Rodri in the Ballon d'Or voting that year.

Morocco

Achraf Hakimi

Arguably the best right back in the world, Hakimi wears the captain's armband and will lead Morocco in the World Cup for the third time. The 2025 African Footballer of the Year, Hakimi captured the UEFA Champions League trophy three times, while also winning the FIFA Club World Cup with Real Madrid in 2018.

Haiti

Wilson Isidor

After representing France on the youth levels, Isidor made the one-time switch to compete for Haiti in March. The forward has played for Monaco, Lokomotiv Moscow and Zenit Saint Petersburg before helping Sunderland gain promotion to the English Premier League.

Scotland

Scott McTominay

McTominay scored a stunning bicycle kick against Denmark to help Scotland book their spot in the World Cup for the first time since 1998. After seven years with Manchester United, the 29-year-old just completed his second season with Napoli.

Group D

United States

Christian Pulisic

Face of the franchise? Yup, that's Christian Pulisic, who is already fifth all-time for the USMNT in goals scored (33). A FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner with Chelsea, Pulisic stars for AC Milan in Serie A.

Paraguay

Miguel Almirón

The Atlanta United icon is in his second stint with the club after helping lead the Five Stripes to the MLS Cup presented by Audi title in 2018. Almirón, who was also a fan favorite at Newcastle United, is La Albirroja's leading scorer with 10 goals.

Australia

Mathew Ryan

The Socceroos captain is competing in his fourth World Cup and is third all-time with 104 caps, five behind Mark Schwarzer, and second with 41 clean sheets. Ryan just completed his first season with LaLiga side Levante.

Turkey

Arda Güler

The 21-year-old is one of the top young players in the world and has already won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. He's already scored six goals in 30 appearances for Türkiye and is set to compete in his first World Cup.

Group E

Germany

Florian Wirtz

Whether it's for Liverpool or Germany, Wirtz has a penchant for finding the back of the net. The former German Bundesliga champion with Bayer 04 Leverkusen just completed his first season with Liverpool.

Curaçao

Leandro Bacuna

Curaçao's captain, Bacuna is the country's all-time appearances (70), second in goals (16) and is set to compete in the World Cup for the first time. A former standout with Aston Villa in the English Premier League, Bacuna now competes for Iğdır FK in Türkiye's second division.

Ivory Coast

Nicolas Pépé

The Villarreal winger is set to make his World Cup debut after helping lead the Ivory Coast to the African Cup of Nations title in 2024. Once a record signing for English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal, Pépé was a goalkeeper until the age of 14.

Ecuador

Moisés Caicedo

A dynamic, box-to-box midfielder, Caicedo helped lead Chelsea to the FIFA Club World Cup title last summer. He's set to compete in the World Cup for the second time.

Group F

Netherlands

Virgil Van Dijk

Considered by many to be one of the best center backs of this generation, Van Dijk captains both Liverpool and the Netherlands. He is the only defender to win UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award (2019) and finished runner-up for both the Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Men's Player that year.

Japan

Wataru Endo

Japan's captain since 2023, the defensive midfielder will feature in his third World Cup this summer. Before winning the English Premier League title with Liverpool, Endo lifted the AFC Champions League trophy with Urawa Red Diamonds.

Sweden

Viktor Gyökeres

Gyökeres had a dream debut season at Arsenal, leading the North London club in scoring and guiding them to the Premier League title. He scored the winning goal against Poland in the World Cup qualifying playoff final, clinching Sweden's 13th World Cup berth.

Tunisia

Ellyes Skhiri

A midfielder for German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, Skhiri was named Tunisia's Footballer of the Year in 2021. The captain has played every minute of Tunisia's six matches in the last two World Cups.

Group G

Belgium

Romelu Lukaku

Belgium's all-time leading scorer has a remarkable 90 goals in 126 caps, including 5g/1a in 12 previous World Cup matches (2014, '18, '22). He's won league titles at RSC Anderlecht, Inter Milan and Napoli, and the FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea.

Egypt

Mohamed Salah

Egypt's GOAT, Salah is his country's second all-time leading scorer. He is coming off a legendary nine-season stint with Liverpool FC that's among the greatest in Premier League history.

Iran

Mehdi Taremi

The veteran striker is Iran's second all-time leading scorer and will compete in his third World Cup. After becoming the first Iranian player in Inter Milan history, Taremi won the Golden Boot in Portugal's top flight for FC Porto in 2023.

New Zealand

Chris Wood

No one has appeared in more games (90) or scored more goals (45) for New Zealand than Wood, who will compete in the World Cup for the first time since 2010. The All Whites captain has scored 92 Premier League goals in stints with West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City, Burnley, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

Group H

Spain

Lamine Yamal

Already a global superstar at age 18, Yamal boasts a Euro 2024 championship with Spain and back-to-back LaLiga titles with FC Barcelona. He is the youngest goalscorer in a European championship (16).

Uruguay

Federico Valverde

Valverde has made more than 350 appearances for Real Madrid, winning a pair of UEFA Champions League titles and a pair of FIFA Club World Cup crowns. He is set to compete in his second World Cup.

Cape Verde

Steven Moreira

The 2024 MLS Defender of the Year and a 2023 MLS Cup champion with the Columbus Crew, Moreira was instrumental during qualifiers in Cape Verde's historic first World Cup berth.

Saudi Arabia

Salem Al-Dawsari

Saudi Arabia's captain, Al-Dawsari is competing in his third World Cup, famously scoring the winner over eventual champions Argentina at Qatar 2022 in one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.

Group I

France

Kylian Mbappé

Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, Mbappé helped lead France to the World Cup title in 2018 and won the Golden Boot at Qatar 2022. He's the top goal scorer in World Cup finals with four goals.

Senegal

Sadio Mané

The Lions of Teranga's all-time leading scorer (54) and second in appearances (126), Mané will compete in his second World Cup. He won the English Premier League Golden Boot award in 2019 during a legendary career with Liverpool.

Norway

Erling Haaland

One of the best players on the planet and the Norwegian GOAT, Haaland will make his anticipated World Cup debut this summer. Norway's leading scorer with a remarkable 55 goals in 50 appearances, Haaland has scored 162 goals in 198 matches for Manchester City, winning the English Premier League Golden Boot with a record 36 goals in 2023.

Iraq

Aymen Hussein

Iraq's leading scorer, and fifth all-time, with 32 goals, Hussein will be the focal point on attack in Iraq's first World Cup appearance since 1986.

Group J

Argentina

Lionel Messi

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is La Albiceleste's most-capped player (199 appearances) and all-time leading scorer (117 goals), leading Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022. Since his historic 2023 arrival at Inter Miami, Messi has won back-to-back Landon Donovan MLS MVPs while leading the Herons to MLS Cup glory in 2025.

Austria

Marcel Sabitzer

The veteran midfielder will represent Austria in the World Cup for the first time. Sabitzer is fifth all-time in appearances (98) and tied for eighth with his 26 goals, and is a two-time German Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich.

Algeria

Riyad Mahrez

Second all-time in appearances (114) and goals (38), Mahrez is set to compete in the World Cup for a second time. The 2016 African Footballer of the Year, Mahrez won five English Premier League titles, two AFC Champions League titles and one UEFA Champions League crown.

Jordan

Mousa Al Tamari

After helping lead Jordan to their first-ever final at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, Al Tamari is looking to guide The Chivalrous Ones in their first World Cup. He is the first Jordanian player to play and score in a top-five European league.

Group K

Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo

One of the greatest players of all-time, Ronaldo is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner who owns records for most international appearances (227) and goals scored (143). He's won 35 trophies in his illustrious career, a record three UEFA Men's Player of the Year awards and will make a record sixth World Cup appearance this summer

DR Congo

Yoane Wissa

Wissa is one of DR Congo’s most established players, having proven himself as a consistent Premier League–caliber forward with Brentford before his move to Newcastle this past season. The 29-year-old has scored 46 Premier League goals in 156 appearances.

Uzbekistan

Eldor Shomurodov

In Uzbekistan's first-ever appearance at the World Cup, Shomurodov will be a key figure in attack while wearing the captain's armband. The reigning Süper Liga Golden Boot winner, Shomurodov helped the White Wolves reach the quarterfinals of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Colombia

James Rodriguéz

Colombia's captain spent time at some of the world's biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, FC Porto, Monaco, and Everton FC, among others, before playing for Minnesota United. The Golden Boot winner at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Rodriguéz enters the World Cup as the second-highest scorer in Los Cafeteros history with 31 goals, behind only Radamel Falcao (36).

Group L

England

Harry Kane

Considered one of the greatest players of his generation, England's captain is the all-time leading scorer for Tottenham Hotspur (280), England (79), and is the highest-scoring English player in the UEFA Champions League (54). Kane has scored more than 500 career goals for club and country.

Croatia

Luka Modrić

The Croatian captain, Modrić is one of the greatest midfielders of all time. The Ballon d'Or and World Cup Golden Ball winner was a central figure in Real Madrid's three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles (2016-18). Modrić is Croatia's all-time leader in appearances (198) and is tied for fifth with 29 goals.

Ghana

Antoine Semenyo

The Manchester City winger is set to compete in his second World Cup after two substitute appearances for the Black Stars in 2022. Semenyo's backheel finish was the winner for Man City in the 2026 FA Cup final.

Panama

Coco Carrasquilla

A former Houston Dynamo FC standout, Carrasquilla is one of Panama's most consistent midfielders. The Golden Ball winner at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup will make his World Cup debut this summer for Los Canaleros.