00:05Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the best players that fans
00:11will have to keep their eyes on as they take the 2026 World Cup by storm and write their
00:16names in footballing legend.
00:30Nicknamed Captain America, Pulisic carries the hopes and dreams of US fans.
00:42After all, they'll be expecting something big from their country since they're co-hosting
00:46the 2026 World Cup.
00:48Becoming captain of the USMNT at 20, Pulisic has been his nation's standout star for several
00:55years.
00:55So much so that he shares the record for most US Soccer Player of the Year wins with the
01:01legendary Landon Donovan, and he's rising up the ranks as his nation's top goalscorer.
01:09Playing club football for Italian giants AC Milan, Pulisic has endured a tough season as injuries
01:17disrupted it, resulting in no goals in 2026 and only two assists.
01:22However, this is all a recipe for the forward to stun at the World Cup.
01:349.
01:35Pau Koubasi
01:37Usually, players who have completed the most passes in a league are midfielders.
01:42Yet, for the 2025-26 La Liga season, that accolade belonged to Barcelona's defender, Koubasi,
01:50who made 2,628 nearly 600 more than second place.
01:55Still only 19, Koubasi has had a rapid rise in football as he's already considered by
02:01fans and journalists alike to be one of the best centre-backs in the world.
02:16Often compared to the legendary Spain and Barca players, Kars Puyol and Gerard Piguet, while
02:22most fans tend to focus on forwards, Koubasi, the youngest defender to play in Spain's history,
02:28will be key to how far his nation goes in the World Cup.
02:338.
02:34Jamal Musiala
02:35Germany
02:36At the 2025 FIFA World Club Cup, Bayern Munich's Musiala showed the US, which hosted the tournament,
02:43what to expect from his talents and why he was nicknamed Bambi due to his close dribbling
02:49technique.
02:54Unfortunately, at the same event, the playmaker suffered a severe injury that ruled him out
02:59for a long time.
03:01When Musiala finally got on the pitch again in 2026, he immediately showed what Germany
03:06and Bayern had been missing with an assist.
03:13While a relapse and his broken ankle caused him to miss other games in the season, Musiala
03:19has returned to fitness.
03:21As the youngest goalscorer in Bayern's Champions League history, the midfielder will prove why
03:26he's one of the best for Germany at the 2026 World Cup.
03:387.
03:40Ousmane Dembele
03:41After injuries plagued Dembele at Barcelona, he got a fresh start when he joined Paris Saint-Germain
03:48in 2023.
04:07In his second season back in his home country, Dembele showed the world his talents.
04:11Inspiring PSG to a treble including the Champions League, the forward's biggest success was
04:18winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
04:24While Dembele's 2025-26 season was disrupted by injuries, he barely slowed down when he was
04:31available, resulting in him being declared the Ligue 1 Player of the Year for a second
04:36consecutive season.
04:38With the rare ability to use either foot, his frightening speed and intelligence, Dembele
04:43will be looking to not only score his first World Cup goal for France, but also take the
04:48team further than 2022.
04:596.
05:00Harry Kane, England
05:01Whenever fans talk about the world's best players, for some bizarre reason, Bayern Munich's
05:07Kane is rarely brought up.
05:20Yet, as the stats show, he's one of the best forwards ever.
05:24As captain and England's top goalscorer of all time, Kane made the transition to Germany
05:30look effortless.
05:31So much so that he has dominated for the Bavarians, smashing one record after another with his
05:37scoring abilities.
05:45For the 2025-26 season, after becoming the Bundesliga's top goalscorer for the third consecutive
05:52time, Kane also broke Robert Lewandowski's Bayern record by smashing in 58 goals in one season,
05:59during all competitions.
06:01The 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner will be a vital cog for the England engine.
06:175.
06:18The Veteran Club
06:19While the 2026 tournament is set to showcase a myriad of young talents who will dominate
06:25football for years, it's also set to be unprecedented in the legends who could be making their swan
06:31songs on the international stage.
06:37For example, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Bosnia and Herzegovina's Edin Dzeko and Croatia's
06:44Luka Modric will all be at least 40 years of age when the event begins.
06:55Mexico's record-appearance goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa could also become the first keeper to
07:01make six World Cups.
07:03Another veteran for fans to enjoy for perhaps the last time in World Cup history is the legendary
07:09Lionel Messi, who will hope to lead Argentina to its second consecutive success.
07:214.
07:23Vinicius Junior
07:24Brazil
07:25With a vast history of producing world-class talent, Brazil's current standout star is
07:31this Real Madrid forward.
07:39After joining the Spanish giants as a teenager, Vinicius soon emerged as one of the club's
07:45biggest threats.
07:46With blistering pace, creativity and intelligence, the forward narrowly missed out on the 2024
07:53Ballon d'Or.
07:54Interestingly, it's not only Vinicius' on-field talents that will leave a mark in the 2026 World
08:00Cup.
08:12The tournament is set to introduce what's been nicknamed the Vinicius Junior Law, which
08:18means players who hide their mouths while talking on the pitch could be sent off.
08:23This is a result of Benfica's Gianluca Prestiani being banned after hiding what he said when he
08:29verbally abused the Brazilian in the Champions League.
08:433.
08:44Erling Haaland
08:45Norway
08:46It's been a long wait for Norway.
08:48After not appearing at a World Cup since 1998, 2026 will see the Scandinavians return.
08:55It was an amazing feeling.
08:57I enjoyed it a lot.
08:58It was a great night, a great moment, which I will have with me for the rest of my life.
09:01And a large portion of that is due to Norway's record goalscorer Haaland.
09:07The Manchester City striker has been a phenomenon in front of goal, no matter who he's played
09:12for.
09:13With imposing strength, passion and a deadly eye for goal, Haaland has scored over 34 goals
09:19every season since joining the Premier League in 2022, smashing records along the way.
09:30He was even the top goalscorer in UEFA World Cup qualification with 16 goals, double second
09:37places tally.
09:38Considered one of the best centre-forwards in the world, Haaland could potentially inspire
09:43Norway's golden generation to a fairytale run in the World Cup.
09:522.
09:53Kylian Mbappe
09:54France
09:55It takes a special player to be the most expensive transfer for his home continent.
10:04And for Mbappe, it's no exception as he owns that title for Europe.
10:09After lighting up France's Ligue 1 with PSG, Mbappe, after grabbing attention for his work
10:15in France's 2018 win, cemented his international talents at the 2022 World Cup.
10:21Alongside nearly leading France to the coveted trophy in Qatar, Mbappe won the golden boot
10:27with eight goals.
10:39With his move to Real Madrid, the talented forward hasn't slowed down, collecting the European
10:45golden shoe for the 2024-25 season.
10:49Beyond his unquestionable pedigree, eyes will be on Mbappe due to the drama he's been connected
10:55to at Real as he looks to prove his critics wrong.
11:07Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
11:11Michael Olysee, France
11:13The reigning Bundesliga player of the season will excite the world.
11:25Alphonso Davies, Canada
11:27With recent injury struggles, Captain Canada will be looking to inspire his team.
11:41Bruno Fernandes, Portugal The Premier League assist record co-holder
11:46will showcase his creative genius.
11:48And Badezer.
11:50Brilliant.
11:51Absolutely brilliant.
11:54Pedri, Spain.
11:56The heir of Spain's legacy of creating technically gifted midfielders, he'll dictate matches.
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12:40Not even out of his teenage years, the Barcelona forward is already one of the best players
12:45in the world.
12:51Barely after turning 16, he became Spain's youngest debutante and
12:55goalscorer.
12:56Yet, it was at Euro 2024 when Jamal's proper introduction came.
13:01While helping Spain win the trophy, his performances earned him awards for scoring the tournament's
13:07best goal and being its best young player.
13:10A constant threat with talent and intelligence far beyond his age, Jamal quickly filled Lionel
13:16Messi's vast boot at Barca.
13:23While he led Barcelona to La Liga success in 2025-26, the winger unfortunately suffered a torn
13:30hamstring in April 2026.
13:33However, with promises that he'll be fit for the World Cup, Jamal will be a key to any
13:38success Spain achieves.
13:47Which goalkeeper do you think will be the standout star at the 2026 World Cup and win the coveted
13:53Golden Glove award?
13:55Let us know in those comments below!
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