{"id":511105,"date":"2026-03-03T07:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T07:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/511105\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T07:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T07:10:08","slug":"messi-mbappe-ronaldo-the-10-world-cup-stars-wholl-define-the-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/511105\/","title":{"rendered":"Messi! Mbapp\u00e9! Ronaldo? The 10 World Cup Stars Who’ll Define The Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

From living legends to rising youngsters to non-stop goal machines. The 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> is often defined by incredible individual performances, and we shouldn’t expect this summer to be any different.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 48-team World Cup will feature plenty of stars, and many more will emerge. But these are 10 players who we expect to take top billing.<\/p>\n

2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch<\/p>\n

The World Cup will run from June 11\u2013July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches<\/a> will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).<\/p>\n

[WHEN AND WHERE: Full Schedule for 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Lamine Yamal<\/a>, Forward, Spain<\/a>
Age: 18
Club: Barcelona<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Visionhaus\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Out of all the stars that will light up soccer\u2019s grandest stage this summer, perhaps there\u2019s no more intriguing or exciting player than the 18-year-old Spanish winger. It\u2019s Yamal\u2019s first World Cup (of many more to come) and he has a chance to score a lot of goals and help La Roja win it all. \u2014 Laken Litman<\/p>\n

Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a>, Striker, Portugal<\/a>
Age: 41
Club: Al-Nassr FC<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Mikolaj Barbanell\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

This has to be Ronaldo\u2019s last World Cup, right? We thought maybe the 2022 tournament in Qatar would be, but then he walked off the field in tears following Portugal\u2019s quarterfinal loss to Morocco. So here we are: the 41-year-old superstar forward has already won everything he possibly can in this sport, except a World Cup trophy, and that\u2019s his goal this summer. \u2014 Litman<\/p>\n

Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/a>, Striker, France<\/a>
Age: 27
Club: Real Madrid<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat\/NurPhoto via Getty Images). <\/p>\n

Mbapp\u00e9 scored a hat trick in the 2022 World Cup final and France still lost to Leo Messi<\/a> and Argentina<\/a> in the most epic finish. Mbapp\u00e9 already has a World Cup trophy, winning it all in 2018, but\u00a0Les Bleus\u2019 captain is hungry and motivated for another. \u2014 Litman<\/p>\n

Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9<\/a>, Forward, France
Age: 28
Club: Paris Saint-Germain<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Mateusz Slodkowski\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

2025 was a big year for Demb\u00e9l\u00e9. The 28-year-old forward won a Champions League<\/a> title with PSG and then took home the\u00a0Ballon d\u2019Or as the world\u2019s best player. While he has a World Cup trophy on his resume (2018), like Mbappe, he wants another after coming so close four years ago in Qatar. \u2014 Litman<\/p>\n

Erling Haaland<\/a>, Striker, Norway<\/a>
Age: 25
Club: Manchester City<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI \/ AFP via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Despite his goal-scoring prowess and overall domination in the Premier League<\/a>, we\u2019ve never seen Haaland in an environment like the one he\u2019ll be in this summer. The 2026 World Cup will not only be Haaland\u2019s debut World Cup, but his first-ever major tournament. How far he\u2019ll take Norway will be one of the more interesting storylines to follow. \u2014 Litman<\/p>\n

Lionel Messi<\/a>, Forward, Argentina
Age: 38
Club: Inter Miami CF<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Marcelo Endelli\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

The GOAT hasn\u2019t yet confirmed that he\u2019ll lead Argentina\u2019s World Cup title defense in the country he now plays his club soccer, but let\u2019s be real: Although he\u2019ll turn 39 three days before the Albicleleste\u2019s group stage finale against Jordan in Arlington, Texas, Messi will be there. Barring serious injury, there\u2019s no way the living legend won\u2019t try to repeat as champs \u2013 something no team has done since Pele\u2019s Brazil in 1962. \u2014 Doug McIntyre
\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harry Kane<\/a>, Striker, England<\/a>
Age: 32\u00a0
Club: Bayern Munich<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA\/The FA via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

England\u2019s all-time top scorer led the 2018 World Cup in goals despite England\u2019s semifinal elimination to Croatia<\/a>. In 2022, the Three Lions captain missed a late penalty kick in the quarterfinals against France, ensuring that the country that invented the sport\u2019s long World Cup drought would continue for at least another four years. Can Kane, now 32, finally help England\u2019s men win their\u00a0 first major title since 1966 this summer? \u2014 McIntyre<\/p>\n

Christian Pulisic<\/a>, Forward\/Winger, USA<\/a>
Age: 27
Club: AC Milan<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0(Photo by David Buono\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Already considered the most gifted attacking player the U.S. has ever produced, Pulisic\u2019s legacy will depend largely on how he performs at this World Cup on home soil this summer. At 27, the AC Milan star is just now entering his prime. He already has one tournament under his belt; in 2022, Pulisic scored the goal that beat Iran and sent the Americans to the round of 16. If the Americans are to last a little longer this summer, Puisic must lead the way. \u2014 McIntyre<\/p>\n

Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior<\/a>, Forward, Brazil<\/a>
Age: 25
Club: Real Madrid<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Buda Mendes\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

With Neymar Jr.<\/a> having just come back from injury and no lock to make Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s squad, the polarizing Real Madrid star will be the face of the\u00a0Sele\u00e7\u00e3o\u00a0at this World Cup. Vini is more than capable of manning the role; the pacy winger remains one of the most electrifying forwards on Earth. \u2014 McIntyre<\/p>\n

Alphonso Davies<\/a>, Fullback\/Winger, Canada<\/a>
Age: 25
Club: Bayern Munich<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Photo by Vaughn Ridley\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Still just 25, the best player in Canadian history will lead the co-hosts\u2019 effort this summer. Davies is a legit star. The Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a> product made FIFA\u2019s year-ending Best XI as a teenager in 2020. He\u2019s won the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup<\/a> and five Bundesliga<\/a> titles, and he scored\u00a0Les Rouges\u2019 first ever World Cup goal at Qatar 2022. He\u2019ll be looking for another first in Toronto and Vancouver this summer: Canada\u2019s maiden World Cup win. \u2014 McIntyre<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From living legends to rising youngsters to non-stop goal machines. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is often defined…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511106,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[99824,12624,2840,4995,1205,5189,7426,35904,49,48,102618,122351,29759,3635,24298,194805,17708,17706,588,637,10816,14194,19977,5897,2454,8722,15864,10618,35422,17729,10884,1072,573,21130,22265,5441,146761,19224,168901,9340,11546,17267,564,561,31022,18262,7413,82,5526,772,87021,2457],"class_list":{"0":"post-511105","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-algeria","9":"tag-argentina","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-austria","12":"tag-barcelona","13":"tag-belgium","14":"tag-brazil","15":"tag-bundesliga","16":"tag-ca","17":"tag-canada","18":"tag-cape-verde","19":"tag-christian-pulisic","20":"tag-colombia","21":"tag-cristiano-ronaldo","22":"tag-croatia","23":"tag-curacao","24":"tag-ecuador","25":"tag-egypt","26":"tag-england","27":"tag-france","28":"tag-germany","29":"tag-ghana","30":"tag-haiti","31":"tag-iran","32":"tag-japan","33":"tag-jordan","34":"tag-kylian-mbappe","35":"tag-laliga","36":"tag-lamine-yamal","37":"tag-ligue-1","38":"tag-lionel-messi","39":"tag-mexico","40":"tag-mls","41":"tag-morocco","42":"tag-netherlands","43":"tag-new-zealand","44":"tag-neymar","45":"tag-norway","46":"tag-panama","47":"tag-paraguay","48":"tag-portugal","49":"tag-qatar","50":"tag-real-madrid","51":"tag-soccer","52":"tag-son-heung-min","53":"tag-south-korea","54":"tag-spain","55":"tag-sports","56":"tag-tunisia","57":"tag-united-states","58":"tag-uruguay","59":"tag-uzbekistan"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}