Top 10 Stars to Know Before the 2026 World Cup
- Zak Drapeau
- May 27
- 7 min read
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 5/27/2026
10. Christian Pulisic - United States
The host countries for the 2026 World Cup are the United States, Mexico and Canada and of the 78 players on those rosters, none have the star power of AC Milan's and United States' Forward Christian Pulisic. Pulisic will be competing in his 2nd World Cup as a member of the United States team that was bounced out in the Round of 16 in 2022.
Pulisic may not be the Captain of the Americans at this stage but he is expected to be the lead playmaker for the squad. Not only the biggest name among his peers, Pulisic should be the best player as well. Fellow American Chris Richards, who competes in England as Crystal Palace's Center Back and will lead the USMNT's defense may also be in competition for the country's MVP. Make no mistake though, this team will only go as far as Pulisic brings them with a majority of their offense expected from him.
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9. Neymar - Brazil
I questioned whether to even put Neymar on this list but his name value is much too great not to. Competing in his 4th straight World Cup and wearing the country's coveted #10 for the 4th time as well, Neymar is truly a National legend and global superstar but the 34 year old isn't as skilled as he once was.
Brazil is always one of the greatest nations to compete at the international stage and this year is no different. With emerging superstars like Raphinha and Vinicius Jr. leading the offense as some of the best players in the world, Neymar is not guaranteed to start. Even still, the legend will get ample playing time as a substitute and will likely start at some point not only as a legend's farewell but still as one of the best dribblers on his team.
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8. Vinicius Jr. - Brazil
And speaking of Brazil's new generation, it all centers around Vinicius Jr., a Left Winger from Real Madrid that is fully expected to be Brazil's leading scorer during the tournament. A former runner up for the Ballon d'Or, (Award for Best Soccer Player of the Year) Vini is looked at as the new Neymar and seen as one of the marquee footballers of the future on a Domestic or International scale.
A fantastic and skilled dribbler of the ball, terrific goal scorer and fluid playmaker, Vinicius Jr. may not be the team's Captain or have the most goals or assists for his squad but should be the active leader on offense and face of the team for their 2026 tournament run, (which as a part of the VERY weak Group C could be a long run.)
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7. Erling Haaland - Norway
Competing in his first World Cup at only 25-year old, Erling Haaland will be the driving force of the Norwegian National team who has one of the best squads in it's country's history. Along with Captain Midfielder Martin Odegard, Haaland will control the team's offense and undoubtedly be their top scorer for the tournament.
Haaland may only be 25 but is already arguably the greatest goal scorer in the world. As the lead Striker for Manchester City for the past 4 years, he has led England's Premier League in goals scored 3 times. Astonishingly, he is even better for Norway. In 48 appearances for his home country he has scored 55 goals and 6 assists. Something tells me he is set to even improve on those numbers come the 2026 World Cup.
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6. Ousmane Dembele - France
From #6 on in this article, we are now entering Superstar territory, starting first with the most recent Ballon d'Or and tournament-favorite, France's key Midfielder Ousmane Dembele. In terms of controlling a game from the midfield and pressuring the other team, no one is better in the world than Dembele.
Not only is Dembele a fantastic player and effortless leader on the pitch but is a proven winner. Dembele would secure a "treble" last season in 2025 for France's Paris Saint-Germain, winning the French Ligue 1, the country's domestic cup the Coupe de France and the International Champions League, Super Bowl of soccer. Seeing as France is the odds on favorite and that Dembele isn't even the best player on his squad, he should easily be one of the top performers and most watched stars this summer.
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5. Lionel Messi - Argentina
The reigning World Cup Champions Argentina will be Captained for the final time by the arguable greatest Soccer player of all time, Lionel Messi. Along with being a 2022 World Cup champion, Messi has a slew of World Cup records as well and should add to them in this year's tournament.
Messi is probably the second most recognizable name in all of soccer and one of it's biggest stars but turning 39 during the World Cup of 2026 means his best days are behind him. The Captain of the Argentinian squad, Messi is always going to be the leader and one of the top playmakers but with sensational Striker Julian Alvarez stealing the show in the 2022 World Cup and returning this year, Messi may no longer be the top scorer or even the offensive focal point. Even so, no doubt every time Argentina plays the center of focus will be Messi as the global icon that he is.
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4. Harry Kane - England
Harry Kane will have the dubious distinction of being England's Captain, Striker and face of the National team. Kane has also been one of if not the top player in the world for 2026, leading Germany's Bayern Munich and all clubs in the world with 31 goals scored in 2026 alone.
Kane is the face of England, a premier Soccer country that will feature heavily on United States' broadcasts and will get a large amount of air time as such. Not only that but if England can make it a few games into the tournament as their fully expected to do, is the odds-on favorite to win the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goal scorer.
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3. Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
While Messi is arguably the best soccer player ever, Cristiano Ronaldo is no doubt the biggest Superstar in the history of the beautiful game. 2026 will mark his 6th World Cup Appearance which will tie Messi for the most of any player ever as the Captain of the Portuguese National Team. Breaking that record will come at somewhat of a cost as the Portuguese National will be 41 at the time of the tournament this summer.
Expected to start in the front of Portugal's 4-5-2 formation, Ronaldo is still one of the greatest athletes in the world but may have lost a step in his speed that was once recognized as top of the sport. While he isn't in his early30's anymore, Ronaldo is a true athlete, the Portuguese Captain and first scoring option and a global phenomenon that is expected to dominate headlines during the tournament.
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2. Kylian Mbappe - France
For those who don't know anything about soccer other than the premise of the World Cup and Superstars like Ronaldo, it's widely known around the globe that France's Kylian Mbappe is the next in line as the world's biggest Superstar at least as Soccer is concerned. Mbappe is the face of one of the greatest Soccer clubs in the world Real Madrid and over the past 8 years has been arguably the best player in the world as well, consistently scoring 30+ goals per year and assisting on plenty more and overall being an extremely talented footballer.
Mbappe was already a star but the 2022 World Cup Final was his coming out party so to speak when he scored a hattrick on the grand stage in a losing effort to Messi and Argentina. Since then he has won numerous scoring titles, been Top-10 in the Ballon d'or voting every year and staked his spot as the best player in the world in that time. Already a World Cup winner in 2018 as a 19-year old, Mbappe will look to bring the French to a 3rd Final in 3 straight World Cups as he is set to Captain the squad for the first time.
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1. Lamine Yamal - Spain
If Mbappe is the newest Superstar to dominate the game, Lamine Yamal is next in line. The 18-year old Forward who plays for Barcelona is the new "wonder kid" of the sport and has dominated La Liga over the last year and a half with his goal scoring and dribbling, often being compared to Lionel Messi himself.
Yamal is on such a role over the past year, is so talented with the ball at his feet and has the age intrigue to be the most watched player of the entire tournament. With Spain being the 2nd highest favored team to win the event, Yamal will likely be playing deep into the tournament and probably his country's top player and goal scorer. Following in the footsteps of other global stars that became superstars from this magnificent event, Lamine Yamal is next and for some fans, (Americans) that don't know his name yet, I believe the 2026 World Cup will be the birth of the legend of Lamine Yamal.
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the 2026 World Cup.
-Z.D.
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