Ranking the Top 15 Players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Charlie Zschau Updated: May 13 2026 21:35

The best soccer players in the world meet in North America this summer, and their talent will be on full display.

The World Cup is a tournament celebrated across the globe, and has the ability to shape players legacies and define who the best of the best truly are.

Lionel Messi cemented his legacy in 2022 as one of the greatest players to ever live by leading Argentina to it's first World Cup victory since 1986. Messi, the best player on the best team, finally lifted the only trophy that had eluded him for decades.

With the World Cup victory, Messi solidified himself as the most successful player to ever play the game. Find out every trophy that Messi has won in his career.

With legacies needing to take shape, we'll rank the top 15 players expected to play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Honorable Mentions

The World Cup features the best of the best in the sport, and these 10 players are unbelievable talents. Unfortunately for them, the bar is set just a little bit too high.

Raphinha (Brazil)
Cole Palmer (England)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Virgil Van Dijk (Netherlands)
Declan Rice (England)
William Saliba (France)
Desire Doue (France)

15. Moises Caicedo (Ecuador)

Club Team: Chelsea
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Age: 24

Moises Caicedo is the definition of a midfield engine. He is the defensive specialist for Chelsea and was a main reason why Ecuador allowed only five goals in 18 CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying games.

The Ecuadorian's super power is his reliability, and timing on tackles. He is known for picking up yellow cards in matches, but his precise timing of tackles allows him to continue to play physically even after picking up a booking.

14. Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)

Club Team: Manchester United
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 31

Portugal is no longer Cristiano Ronaldo's team. Although he may still lead the line in attack, the attacking play will undeniably be created and operated through the Portuguese midfield of Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, and Joao Neves.

Bruno is one of the best passers in the sport, and his incredible vision and dribbling ability allow him to dictate the game at such a high level. Fernandes joined Manchester United in 2020, and has been the most important player on the team since.

13. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Club Team: Inter Miami
Position: Forward
Age: 38

At 38-years-old, the GOAT is still making the game look easy in MLS. In 2022, Messi led Argentina to their first World Cup victory since 1986, and just last season in MLS helped Inter Miami win their first MLS Cup, and won the league MVP honors on the way.

Messi is aging like fine wine, picking out passes that no other person on the planet could see, and making the game look easy.

12. Pedri (Spain)

Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Age: 23

Pedri has become one of the top midfielders in the game the past few seasons, and is highly intelligent and technical on the ball. The young Spaniard does not get sped up when things get tight, and he has a unique ability to dictate tempo on his own no mater how much pressure he's under by opposing defenders.

The Barcelona product will absolutely dictate the play for the tournament favorites, Spain, and could lead the entire tournament in touches like he does for Barcelona.

11. Vinicius Junior (Brazil)

Club Team: Real Madrid
Position: Winger
Age: 25

Vinicius Junior is just one of the incredible dribblers on the Brazilian national team. Vini has blistering speed, some of the best one-on-one dribbling skills in the world, and has drastically improved his scoring efficiency in the past few seasons.

With Raphinha likely to lineup on the opposite wing, Brazil is arguably the most dangerous team to defend one-on-one.

Brazil's coach Carlo Ancelotti was Vinicius' former coach at Real Madrid, and that trust could be the reason the winger explodes this summer at the World Cup.

10. Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Club Team: Liverpool
Position: Winger
Age: 33

Although Mohamed Salah has confirmed that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, he still has a huge opportunity to shine with Egypt on the biggest stage.

Salah has struggled to find consistency this season in the Premier League, highlighted by his fractured relationship with Arne Slot. However, is was just last year that he finished fourth in Ballon d'Or voting. He also single handedly led Egypt to the semifinal of the 2025 AFCON tournament.

9. Federico Valverde (Uruguay)

Club Team: Real Madrid
Position: Midfielder / Winger / Fullback
Age: 27

Fede Valverde does it all for Real Madrid, and has become one of the most indispensable and consistent players in the world the past six months. Valverde leads outfield players at Real Madrid in minutes this season, and plays as a fullback, winger, and central midfielder depending on where the team needs him.

Valverde will lead Uruguay on the pitch, and will likely wear the captains armband throughout the 2026 World Cup.

8. Gabriel (Brazil)

Club Team: Arsenal
Position: Defender
Age: 28

Gabriel has become a top defender in the Premier League, and alongside Frenchman William Saliba has turned Arsenal's defense into a fortress for the past three seasons.

Gabriel is not just a stout defender, but is a major threat on offensive corner kicks. His huge frame and athleticism makes him nearly impossible to defend when leaping for a header. He will likely play alongside PSG's Marquinhos at the center of Ancelotti's defense.

7. Erling Haaland (Norway)

Club Team: Manchester City
Position: Forward
Age: 25

Nicknamed the "Terminator", Erling Haaland is a physical center forward that requires very few touches to score.

Haaland does not need to touch the ball often to be the most important play for Manchester City. The Norwegian makes countless runs in behind and has the physical traits to overpower opposing defenses.

Haaland will be fed opportunities to score by Arsenal's midfield maestro Martin Odegaard this summer.

6. Ousmane Dembele (France)

Club Team: PSG
Position: Winger / Forward
Age: 28

2025 Ballon d'Or winner, Ousmane Dembele is sure to be key figure in France's World Cup squad. Although Didier Deschamps' team is undeniably the deepest in the world (especially up front), Dembele is sure to play important minutes.

Dembele struggled with injuries early in his career, but in the past few seasons he has been able to stay on the pitch more consistently, showing that he is one of the best attackers in the sport.

5. Michael Olise (France)

Club Team: Bayern Munich
Position: Attacking Midfielder / Winger
Age: 24

Michael Olise was not a highly touted prospect until he started picking apart Premier League defenses with Crystal Palace. In 2024 the Frenchman joined Bayern Munich, and has created a prosperous partnership with Harry Kane.

Olise is silky smooth on the ball and plays the game with style and flair. Although he's one of the top players in the world at the moment, getting into the starting lineup for France is still not a given.

4. Vitinha (Portugal)

Club Team: PSG
Position: Midfielder
Age: 26

Like Pedri for Spain, Vitinha is the heartbeat of the Portuguese team. The 26-year-old is undeniably the best passer in Ligue 1, leading the league in total passes and accurate long passes by a wide margin.

Nicknamed the "Metronome", Vitinha has the capabilities to slow down or speed up the game at will. He will be alongside his PSG teammate Joao Neves in Portugal's' midfield.

Vitinha finished third in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting.

3. Lamine Yamal (Spain)

Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Winger
Age: 18

Lamine Yamal may already be the best player on the planet at just 18-years-old. The wonderkid was already starting for the Spanish National team when he was 16, and has found phenomenal chemistry with Nico Williams on the opposite wing.

Yamal was just 14 at the time of the 2022 World Cup, but helped Spain lift the Euro 2024 title, and claimed the Young Player of the Tournament honors along the way.

The youngster succeeds with his natural talent, subtle craftiness, and perfect technique. On his day, Yamal already looks to be the best player in the world.

2. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

Club Team: Bayern Munich
Position: Forward
Age: 32

Harry Kane is having one of the best seasons of his already incredible career at the 32-years-old, and is carrying the hopes of England on his back into the World Cup this summer.

Kane is already England's all-time leading scorer entering the tournament, and if he can propel his nation to their first World Cup victory since 1966 he may go down as one of the best strikers of all-time.

Kane could be in line for his second World Cup Golden Boot after winning the award with six goals in 2018.

1. Kylian Mbappe (France)

Club Team: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Age: 27

Like Kane, Kylian Mbappe makes scoring goals look easy. At 27-years-old, Mbappe has already led France to a World Cup victory in 2018, and almost single handedly beat Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final with three goals in the 4-3 loss.

After just two World Cup appearances, Mbappe has already tied Pele's goal tally (12), and has scored the sixth most goals in World Cup history. He won the Golden boot in 2022 scoring eight goals throughout the tournament, and with four goals at the tournament this summer he will tie Miroslav Klose for the most goals in World Cup history (16).

Mbappe's game combines rapid pace with excellent positioning and finishing abilities, making him the scariest player that opposing defenses can go up against.