LEGENDS<\/p>\n
SUPERSTARS<\/p>\n
KEY PLAYERS<\/p>\n
RISING STARS<\/p>\n
UNSUNG HEROES<\/p>\n
The 2026 World Cup<\/a> is here, and it\u2019s bigger than ever before.<\/p>\n To help you follow the tournament, The Athletic has identified 200 players that we\u2019re calling the Stars of Soccer. Some are household names \u2014\u00a0yes, Lionel Messi<\/a> and Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> are here \u2014 but plenty are not. Our guide has players from all 48 nations, including six Americans and seven members of England\u2019s team.<\/p>\n This list is not a collection of rankings. Instead, we\u2019ve put these players into one of five categories: Legends, Superstars, Key players, Rising stars and Unsung heroes. You can sort or filter them however you\u2019d like, including by country or professional club. Each link leads to a comprehensive profile, detailed charts breaking down a player\u2019s most important characteristics and a name pronunciation guide.<\/p>\n Whether you just want to brush up on your favorite team or learn about an upcoming opponent, we have you covered.<\/p>\n LegendsSuperstarsKey playersRising starsUnsung heroes <\/p>\n Icons of soccer who will leave lasting legacies. In many cases, these are the greatest players their country has ever produced.<\/p>\n Lionel Messi<\/a> Forward, Argentina David Alaba<\/a> Defender, Austria Kevin De Bruyne<\/a> Midfielder, Belgium Edin Dzeko<\/a> Forward, Bosnia and Herzegovina James Rodriguez<\/a> Forward, Colombia Luka Modric<\/a> Midfielder, Croatia Mohamed Salah<\/a> Forward, Egypt Harry Kane<\/a> Forward, England Manuel Neuer<\/a> Goalkeeper, Germany Guillermo Ochoa<\/a> Goalkeeper, Mexico Virgil van Dijk<\/a> Defender, Netherlands Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> Forward, Portugal Sadio Mane<\/a> Forward, Senegal Son Heung-min<\/a> Forward, South Korea <\/p>\n Outstanding players at the very top of the modern game. They have the ability to make a huge impact on the tournament.<\/p>\n Thibaut Courtois<\/a> Goalkeeper, Belgium Vinicius Junior<\/a> Forward, Brazil Alphonso Davies<\/a> Defender, Canada Moises Caicedo<\/a> Midfielder, Ecuador Jude Bellingham<\/a> Midfielder, England Declan Rice<\/a> Midfielder, England Bukayo Saka<\/a> Forward, England Ousmane Dembele<\/a> Forward, France Kylian Mbappe<\/a> Forward, France Michael Olise<\/a> Forward, France Jamal Musiala<\/a> Midfielder, Germany Florian Wirtz<\/a> Midfielder, Germany Achraf Hakimi<\/a> Defender, Morocco Erling Haaland<\/a> Forward, Norway Bruno Fernandes<\/a> Midfielder, Portugal Nuno Mendes<\/a> Defender, Portugal Vitinha<\/a> Midfielder, Portugal Lamine Yamal<\/a> Forward, Spain Christian Pulisic<\/a> Forward, United States Federico Valverde<\/a> Midfielder, Uruguay KEY PLAYERS Return to top <\/p>\n This group of players are highly skilled and play integral roles for their national teams \u2014 and their professional clubs, too.<\/p>\n Mohammed Amoura<\/a> Forward, Algeria Riyad Mahrez<\/a> Forward, Algeria Luca Zidane<\/a> Goalkeeper, Algeria Emiliano Martinez<\/a> Goalkeeper, Argentina Lautaro Martinez<\/a> Forward, Argentina Cristian Romero<\/a> Defender, Argentina Jackson Irvine<\/a> Midfielder, Australia Marko Arnautovic<\/a> Forward, Austria Romano Schmid<\/a> Midfielder, Austria Jeremy Doku<\/a> Forward, Belgium Charles De Ketelaere<\/a> Midfielder, Belgium Romelu Lukaku<\/a> Forward, Belgium Alisson<\/a> Goalkeeper, Brazil Marquinhos<\/a> Defender, Brazil Tajon Buchanan<\/a> Midfielder, Canada Jonathan David<\/a> Forward, Canada Sidny Lopes Cabral<\/a> Defender, Cape Verde Ryan Mendes<\/a> Midfielder, Cape Verde Luis Diaz<\/a> Forward, Colombia Richard Rios<\/a> Midfielder, Colombia Josko Gvardiol<\/a> Defender, Croatia Juninho Bacuna<\/a> Midfielder, Curacao Leandro Bacuna<\/a> Midfielder, Curacao Sontje Hansen<\/a> Midfielder, Curacao Patrik Schick<\/a> Forward, Czech Republic Pavel Sulc<\/a> Midfielder, Czech Republic Aaron Wan-Bissaka<\/a> Defender, DR Congo Yoane Wissa<\/a> Forward, DR Congo Willian Pacho<\/a> Defender, Ecuador Enner Valencia<\/a> Forward, Ecuador Hossam Abdelmaguid<\/a> Defender, Egypt Omar Marmoush<\/a> Forward, Egypt Jordan Pickford<\/a> Goalkeeper, England William Saliba<\/a> Defender, France Antonio Rudiger<\/a> Defender, Germany Nico Schlotterbeck<\/a> Defender, Germany Antoine Semenyo<\/a> Forward, Ghana Kamaldeen Sulemana<\/a> Forward, Ghana Jean-Ricner Bellegarde<\/a> Midfielder, Haiti Wilson Isidor<\/a> Forward, Haiti Duckens Nazon<\/a> Forward, Haiti Alireza Beiranvand<\/a> Goalkeeper, Iran Saeid Ezatolahi<\/a> Midfielder, Iran Mehdi Taremi<\/a> Forward, Iran Ali Al-Hamadi<\/a> Forward, Iraq Aymen Hussein<\/a> Forward, Iraq Amad Diallo<\/a> Forward, Ivory Coast Ibrahim Sangare<\/a> Midfielder, Ivory Coast Ritsu Doan<\/a> Forward, Japan Takefusa Kubo<\/a> Forward, Japan Ayase Ueda<\/a> Forward, Japan Musa Al-Taamari<\/a> Forward, Jordan Ihsan Haddad<\/a> Defender, Jordan Edson Alvarez<\/a> Midfielder, Mexico Alvaro Fidalgo<\/a> Midfielder, Mexico Raul Jimenez<\/a> Forward, Mexico Yassine Bounou<\/a> Goalkeeper, Morocco Brahim Diaz<\/a> Midfielder, Morocco Ayoub El Kaabi<\/a> Forward, Morocco Cody Gakpo<\/a> Forward, Netherlands Frenkie de Jong<\/a> Midfielder, Netherlands Micky van de Ven<\/a> Defender, Netherlands Liberato Cacace<\/a> Defender, New Zealand Sarpreet Singh<\/a> Midfielder, New Zealand Chris Wood<\/a> Forward, New Zealand Jens Petter Hauge<\/a> Midfielder, Norway Martin Odegaard<\/a> Midfielder, Norway Julian Ryerson<\/a> Defender, Norway Adalberto Carrasquilla<\/a> Midfielder, Panama Ismael Diaz<\/a> Forward, Panama Amir Murillo<\/a> Defender, Panama Omar Alderete<\/a> Defender, Paraguay Miguel Almiron<\/a> Midfielder, Paraguay Diego Gomez<\/a> Midfielder, Paraguay Rafael Leao<\/a> Forward, Portugal Akram Afif<\/a> Forward, Qatar Hassan Al-Haydos<\/a> Forward, Qatar Saud Abdulhamid<\/a> Defender, Saudi Arabia Salem Al-Dawsari<\/a> Forward, Saudi Arabia John McGinn<\/a> Midfielder, Scotland Scott McTominay<\/a> Midfielder, Scotland Andrew Robertson<\/a> Defender, Scotland Lamine Camara<\/a> Midfielder, Senegal Nicolas Jackson<\/a> Forward, Senegal Iliman Ndiaye<\/a> Forward, Senegal Oswin Appollis<\/a> Forward, South Africa Ronwen Williams<\/a> Goalkeeper, South Africa Cho Gue-sung<\/a> Forward, South Korea Lee Kang-in<\/a> Midfielder, South Korea Kim Min-jae<\/a> Defender, South Korea Nico Williams<\/a> Forward, Spain Viktor Gyokeres<\/a> Forward, Sweden Alexander Isak<\/a> Forward, Sweden Breel Embolo<\/a> Forward, Switzerland Granit Xhaka<\/a> Midfielder, Switzerland Rani Khedira<\/a> Midfielder, Tunisia Hannibal Mejbri<\/a> Midfielder, Tunisia Ellyes Skhiri<\/a> Midfielder, Tunisia Hakan Calhanoglu<\/a> Midfielder, Turkey Tyler Adams<\/a> Midfielder, United States Folarin Balogun<\/a> Forward, United States Weston McKennie<\/a> Midfielder, United States Chris Richards<\/a> Defender, United States Antonee Robinson<\/a> Defender, United States Ronald Araujo<\/a> Defender, Uruguay Darwin Nunez<\/a> Forward, Uruguay Abdukodir Khusanov<\/a> Defender, Uzbekistan Eldor Shomurodov<\/a> Forward, Uzbekistan RISING STARS Return to top <\/p>\n These are the tournament\u2019s most exciting young talents; the world is at their feet and they are ready to take the next step on a global stage.<\/p>\n Nico Paz<\/a> Forward, Argentina Jordan Bos<\/a> Defender, Australia Nestory Irankunda<\/a> Forward, Australia Mohamed Toure<\/a> Forward, Australia Matias Fernandez-Pardo<\/a> Forward, Belgium Kerim Alajbegovic<\/a> Forward, Bosnia and Herzegovina Esmir Bajraktarevic<\/a> Forward, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tarik Muharemovic<\/a> Defender, Bosnia and Herzegovina Niko Sigur<\/a> Midfielder, Canada Martin Baturina<\/a> Midfielder, Croatia Luka Vuskovic<\/a> Defender, Croatia Noah Sadiki<\/a> Midfielder, DR Congo Kendry Paez<\/a> Forward, Ecuador Elliot Anderson<\/a> Midfielder, England Nico O\u2019Reilly<\/a> Defender, England Rayan Cherki<\/a> Midfielder, France Desire Doue<\/a> Forward, France Caleb Yirenkyi<\/a> Midfielder, Ghana Ousmane Diomande<\/a> Defender, Ivory Coast Yan Diomande<\/a> Forward, Ivory Coast Bazoumana Toure<\/a> Forward, Ivory Coast Gilberto Mora<\/a> Midfielder, Mexico Obed Vargas<\/a> Midfielder, Mexico Jorrel Hato<\/a> Defender, Netherlands Finn Surman<\/a> Defender, New Zealand Antonio Nusa<\/a> Forward, Norway Julio Enciso<\/a> Midfielder, Paraguay Ibrahim Mbaye<\/a> Forward, Senegal Mamadou Sarr<\/a> Defender, Senegal Mbekezeli Mbokazi<\/a> Defender, South Africa Pau Cubarsi<\/a> Defender, Spain Victor Munoz<\/a> Forward, Spain Lucas Bergvall<\/a> Midfielder, Sweden Johan Manzambi<\/a> Midfielder, Switzerland Arda Guler<\/a> Midfielder, Turkey Can Uzun<\/a> Midfielder, Turkey Kenan Yildiz<\/a> Forward, Turkey Abbosbek Fayzullaev<\/a> Midfielder, Uzbekistan UNSUNG HEROES Return to top <\/p>\n They might not make headlines because they\u2019re less flashy than players around them. But they deserve your attention \u2014 and some of the limelight.<\/p>\n Alexis Mac Allister<\/a> Midfielder, Argentina Bruno Guimaraes<\/a> Midfielder, Brazil Ismael Kone<\/a> Midfielder, Canada Luis Suarez<\/a> Forward, Colombia Kai Havertz<\/a> Forward, Germany Azzedine Ounahi<\/a> Midfielder, Morocco Tijjani Reijnders<\/a> Midfielder, Netherlands Craig Gordon<\/a> Goalkeeper, Scotland Pape Matar Sarr<\/a> Midfielder, Senegal Mikel Oyarzabal<\/a> Forward, Spain Martin Zubimendi<\/a> Midfielder, Spain Manuel Akanji<\/a> Defender, Switzerland Maxi Araujo<\/a> Midfielder, Uruguay <\/p>\n Designed and produced by John Bradford<\/a>, Mark Carey<\/a>, Eamonn Dalton<\/a>, Thom Harris<\/a>, K.K. Rebecca Lai<\/a>, Thomas Oide<\/a> and Kelsea Petersen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LEGENDS SUPERSTARS KEY PLAYERS RISING STARS UNSUNG HEROES The 2026 World Cup is here, and it\u2019s bigger than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":728595,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-728594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/728595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}