The anticipation for the 2026 World Cup has been brewing since the year started. As hundreds of millions of people around the world crowd around the television and local viewing spots, especially here in New Jersey, in our own backyard, it may be difficult to decide which players to follow as the tournament progresses. To ensure clarity, here is a guide of which players you should look out for in this year’s World Cup, ranging from emerging young prodigies and well-known superstars to classic veteran players.
Rising stars
Lamine Yamal, Spain: Lamine Yamal has proven his brilliance on some of the world’s biggest stages, having already played in Champions League tournaments, won the 2024 European Championship, and earned many more trophies with his team in Spain, Barcelona. Yamal is no longer Barcelona’s teenage prodigy, but the star of a new generation of players with loud style. At just 18 years old, Spain’s golden boy is going to be the most-watched player at this year’s World Cup. Even before the World Cup, his unique style has been attracting attention as he is set to wear the iconic No.10. Yamal’s creativity on the right wing will definitely be worth watching as he hunts for another trophy for his records.
Endrick Moreira de Sousa, Brazil: While Sousa struggling to get minutes at Real Madrid had people questioning whether he is genuinely a great player, his rise in his new club, Lyon, has shown his skill. While Lamine Yamal is clean, rhythmic, and elegant when scoring, Sousa is quite the opposite. Instead of using Yamal’s flair to dance through defensive backlines, Sousa uses violence to power through and rip defensive lines. In a critical time for Brazil, which has been in a trophy drought, Sousa needs to prove to the world that he is worthy of having the most valuable jersey on his back.
Pau Cubarsí, Spain: Even though people believe greatness is the number of goals you have, Cubarsí’s defensive skills are just as vital as Yamal or Sousa’s goals. As a product of Barcelona’s ‘La Masia’, a training facility that focuses on developing athletes from a young age, he carries the academy’s intelligence well. At only 19, Cubarsí has the capabilities of an experienced veteran defender, even being compared to legends like Gerard Piqué. His tackling isn’t violent, but instead surgical and clean, allowing him to dissect the ball before it becomes a threat. Like Yamal, Cubarsí has had Champions League appearances and domestic trophies with Barcelona. In a world where people look for the glamorous strikers, watching the game through the eyes of a quiet defender may tell a different story.
Big-name superstars
Kylian Mbappé, France: Mbappé’s hunger for a second World Cup title is undeniable, as he has already cemented his name in international soccer history. After a chaotic loss against Argentina, where France still lost even after Mbappé’s hat-trick, the possibility of France taking home this year’s trophy is very much real, which would add another World Cup to Mbappé’s cabinet. But, since joining the Spanish club giant, Real Madrid, he’s been in a trophy slump. However, even with Madrid’s questionable season, Mbappé’s lethality in the box is absolutely captivating.
Jude Bellingham, England: If you want strikers to thrive and score, you need a strong engine behind them. Bellingham is the right player for this. Currently, the Englishman is arguably one of the most rounded midfielders, being able to play offensively and defensively. In the same game, it’s very possible for Bellingham to score a last-minute goal or a last-minute game-saving tackle. For every goal, Bellingham celebrates with his arms wide open, and perhaps it will hit differently as England is carried on his shoulders. As another player for Real Madrid, Bellingham is one of England’s key players to return the country’s glory.
Vinícius Júnior, Brazil: While not necessarily the image of what Joga Bonito (the Brazilian philosophy of beautiful playing) traditionally looks like, many see Júnior as Brazil’s last hope for keeping the Brazilian dance alive. Júnior has the right formula to make Brazil successful: an electric pace and a relentless attacking style that allow him to liquidly weave his way through defenders. While his loud and fiery personality gets the best of him, his talent on the field is undeniable. Winning a fight with Júnior is quite a task, especially when he has the hunger to score Brazil a sixth cup in their cabinet.
Legendary veterans
Lionel Messi, Argentina: Argentina’s national treasure and World Cup hero is here to give a final farewell to the international stage. Even after bringing home Argentina’s first World Cup in 36 years since the days of legendary player Diego Maradona, Messi is here to play just one more time. It’s bittersweet to watch him play, and even at the age of 38, the essence of Messi’s flair and breathtaking dribbling can never be replicated. While his presence on the pitch is still in the air, for every Barcelona and Argentina fan, the desire to see Messi succeed one last time churns from within.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal: Ronaldo is missing one essential piece to finally feel complete as a legendary player: a World Cup trophy. This is also the last time we will be able to see Messi and Ronaldo set on the same stage, ending one of the biggest rivalries in sports history. At the age of 41, Ronaldo has an absolutely inhuman drive to win and has some of the most impressive stats in soccer history. However, as he ages, the once outstanding performances have seemed to dwindle, but every player pushes as hard as they can for such a prize, even to their breaking point. The question remains of how hard Ronaldo can push and how long it will take for him to break.
Neymar Jr., Brazil: Brazil’s pride and joy, the only player every Brazilian wanted to see on this team. While Coach Carlo Ancelotti let Brazilians suffer while waiting to see if Neymar would be in the World Cup, he has finally been permitted in the lineup. Easily Brazil’s brightest star in the 2010s, Neymar is always a joy to watch. His dribbling ability is elite, breaking through defensive lines seamlessly with finishing skills that leave you starstruck. The biggest concern for Neymar is how injury-prone he is. Being Neymar’s last World Cup, his goal has always been to not only have his hard-working hands touch the trophy, but to remind the world of Brazil’s historical record.
Whether you like Yamal’s young spirit, Bellingham’s calming presence, or Messi’s untouchability, enjoying the World Cup isn’t a difficult task. Through every perspective, tears will fall, victorious smiles will shine, and disappointment will emerge. The final will be held in New Jersey’s backyard, MetLife Stadium, so be prepared for the chaos of whose hands touch the most precious trophy in existence.
