Top 100 Players In The 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ranked

The best players in the world will be on display this summer at the 2026 World Cup.

Ahead of the world's premier sporting event, our on-air experts — Alexi Lalas, Maurice Edu and Stu Holden — and 50 members of our production staff ranked the 100 best stars who will likely feature at this summer’s World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.Last week, we released Nos. 100-76, which included notable stars like USA forward Christian Pulisic, South Korea's Son Heung-min and Mexico's Raúl Jiménez.

This week, we keep the countdown going with Nos. 75-51 with appearances such USA midfielder Weston McKennie and several stars from heavyweights Spain, France and Brazil.

JUMP TO: 100-76 | 75-51 | 50-26 (May 18) | 25-11 (May 22) | 10-1 (June 1) Without further ado, let’s get into it! 2026 FIFA World Cup Top 100 Players: Nos. 100-76 Age: 28National team appearances: 52Club team: AC Milan (Italy) Estupiñán thrived in the Premier League for three seasons with Brighton before making a move to AC Milan last summer.

He is one of the impressive talents that make Ecuador a potential sleeper this summer.

Age: 26National team appearances: 56Club team: Liverpool (England) Isak scored 52 goals in his last two seasons at Newcastle before making a big-money move to Liverpool last summer.

Injuries have limited him to just four goals and 21 games this season, but he is a constant threat to score whenever he’s on the pitch.

Age: 29National team appearances: 77Club team: Bayern Munich (Germany) Kim won Serie A with Napoli in 2023 before making a big move to Bayern Munich.

He hasn’t established himself as a first-choice player for the German giants, but he will be a pillar in the Korean defense this summer.

Age: 23National team appearances: 18Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Barcola is one of the hugely talented French attacking players who will be vying for a starting spot.

At 22 years old, Barcola is one of the best young wingers in the world and plays at PSG, which won last season’s UEFA Champions League.

Age: 28National team appearances: 26Club team: Manchester United (England) Martínez would start at center back for most teams in this tournament, but he’s likely going to start as the third option behind Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi, who started during Argentina’s winning run in 2022.

He can fill in at left back, as well, and will play a role somehow for the reigning champions.

Age: 25National team appearances: 49Club team: Manchester City (England) Foden was the Premier League Player of the Season in 2023-24, but he has not built off that honor.

At 25 years old, he is yet to find his footing and establish a spot in the England team.

Age: 28National team appearances: 31Club team: Brighton (England) Mitoma is an exciting winger who broke out two years ago for Brighton.

He scored the winning goal for Japan back on March 31 in a friendly against England and will be the key player in attack for his country this summer.

Age: 28National team appearances: 33Club team: Inter Milan (Italy) Kylian Mbappé will likely lead France’s attack at the start of the tournament, but Thuram is a very good alternative.

Son of former France star Lilian Thuram, Marcus has scored at least 12 Serie A goals in each of his first three seasons at Inter Milan.

Age: 29National team appearances: 52Club team: Real Sociedad (Spain) A winger by trade for Real Sociedad, Oyarzabal has stepped up as a striker for the national team in the past.

The best example was in the Euro 2024 final, when he scored the winning goal for Spain against England.

Age: 24National team appearances: 24Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Ramos famously replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal lineup for a Round of 16 game against Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup and scored a hat trick.

Ronaldo will likely start the tournament up front for Portugal, but Ramos is one of the best backup strikers you’ll see this summer.

Age: 34National team appearances: 125Club team: Fulham (England) Jiménez is a fixture in the Fulham starting lineup and will be the main man for Mexico this summer.

With 44 goals for El Tri, he’s two goals behind former striker Jared Borgetti for second most all time.

Age: 20National team appearances: 28Club team: Juventus (Italy) Yıldız broke into the Juventus lineup three years ago and quickly became a focal point of the team’s attack.

At 20 years old, he has already made 28 appearances for Türkiye.

Age: 27National team appearances: 16Club team: Arsenal (England) Eze made a huge move to Arsenal last summer and immediately became a big part of Mikel Arteta's squad.

He normally plays an attacking role, but he could push for the spot in England's midfield that is usually occupied by Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.

Age: 29National team appearances: 41Club team: Arsenal (England) Merino is unlikely to start for Spain, but he'll still probably play a big role.

He scored eight goals in 10 appearances last year for the reigning European champions.

A midfielder by trade, Merino has also played as a striker for both club and country.

Age: 34National team appearances: 84Club team: Manchester United (England) Casemiro is a four-time Champions League winner at Real Madrid, but he hasn’t maintained his high level of quality since moving to Manchester United in 2022.

His former Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, is now in charge of Brazil and brought the midfielder back to the national team last year.

Age: 30National team appearances: 41Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Ruiz was part of PSG’s dominant midfield trio last year that powered the team’s Champions League victory.

Spain’s midfield is loaded with talent, so it won’t be as easy for him to find a spot in the starting lineup.

Age: 25National team appearances: 27Club team: Manchester City (England) Guéhi was the captain for Crystal Palace last summer when the South London club won the FA Cup.

He moved to Manchester City earlier this year and has immediately become a fixture in the reigning Premier League champion’s defense.

Age: 25National team appearances: 15Club team: Liverpool (England) Frimpong is listed as a defender, but he’s as important to the Dutch attack as he is to its defense.

He has impressive pace and is a constant threat down the right wing when he’s on the pitch.

Age: 26National team appearances: 22Club team: Chelsea (England) James will be an important player for England this summer with versatility to play either right back or midfield.

Staying healthy has been James’ problem at Chelsea, although he has played in more than two dozen games in the Premier League this season.

Age: 33National team appearances: 143Club team: LAFC (United States) Son is in the middle of his first full season in Los Angeles after a decade in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur.

He’s South Korea’s all-time leader in national team appearances.

Age: 27National team appearances: 46Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Koundé will likely start at right back for the French, who are among the favorites this summer.

He has made at least 40 appearances in each of the last four seasons for Barcelona.

Age: 27National team appearances: 84Club team: AC Milan (Italy) "Captain America" will have all eyes on him this summer.

At 27 years old, Pulisic has already made 84 appearances for the U.S. national team.

His 32 goals are 25 behind Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.

Pulisic has not scored for the U.S. since November 2024, so he’ll need to regain his form if the Americans want to make a run into the knockout round.

Age: 21National team appearances: 28Club team: Real Madrid (Spain) Güler is finishing up his third season at Real Madrid and has emerged as a key player in the squad.

He will be the main man for Türkiye for years to come, starting with this summer’s World Cup.

Age: 27National team appearances: 32Club team: Arsenal (England) Gyökeres scored a memorable hat trick against Poland in the UEFA World Cup playoffs in March, including one in the 87th minute to seal a 3-2 win.

He moved to Arsenal last summer and has 18 goals in all competitions.

Age: 27National team appearances: 48Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Olmo emerged as a key player for Spain at Euro 2024.

He scored three goals — finishing in a six-way tie for the Golden Boot — including one in the quarterfinal and semifinal against Germany and France, respectively. 2026 FIFA World Cup Top 100 Players: Nos. 75-51 Age: 31National team appearances: 66Club team: Barcelona (Spain), on loan from Al-Hilal Few defenders will be important attackers for their countries this summer, but Cancelo is one of them.

The right back has impressive pace that makes him a threat down the wing.

He has 12 goals in 66 appearances for Portugal, which is a very good rate for a defender.

Age: 24National team appearances: 22Club team: Arsenal (England) Martinelli will be a key player for Brazil this summer.

He has struggled to establish a starting spot on the left wing because of Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, but his pace means he will be a key contributor this summer.

He only has one Premier League goal for Arsenal this season, so he isn’t in the best form right now.

Age: 27National team appearances: 64Club team: Juventus (Italy) McKennie is the highest-rated American player on this list, having established himself as a fixture in Juventus’ lineup.

He has played at least 34 games in Italy’s Serie A in each of the last three seasons and has been all over the field — in defense at fullback, in midfield and as an attacker.

McKennie can do it all, which the United States may need him to do this summer if it makes a run through the knockout stages.

If the Americans are playing, expect to see a lot of McKennie.

Age: 27National team appearances: 44Club team: Liverpool (England) Mac Allister will be a key presence in the Argentina midfield this summer, as he was in 2022 en route to World Cup glory.

Since then, he moved to Liverpool and won the Premier League last season.

Mac Allister is capable of popping up and scoring a huge goal while also dictating the game on the ball.

He’s one of the best center midfielders in the world.

Age: 26National team appearances: 43Club team: AC Milan (Italy) When Leão is fit and in form, few attackers in the world are better.

Consistency has been the issue for the Portugal attacker, who has only scored five goals in 43 games for the national team.

If he’s in form, Leão could be an X-factor capable of pushing Portugal over the top this summer.

Age: 28National team appearances: 82Club team: Crystal Palace (England) Sarr played all 38 games in the Premier League for Crystal Palace last season, during which the South London club also won the FA Cup.

Sarr has made 83 appearances for Senegal and will be one of the go-to guys for his country this summer, alongside teammate Sadio Mané.

Age: 30National team appearances: 38Club team: AC Milan (Italy) Hugo Lloris retired from international play after the 2022 World Cup, and Maignan stepped in and hasn’t given the job up.

Maignan is one of the best shot-stopping goalkeepers in the world and is firmly entrenched as AC Milan’s starter.

He will be one of the best last lines of defense for a French squad that will be one of the most talented in World Cup history.

Age: 24National team appearances: 8Club team: Chelsea (England) Brazil has been looking for a definitive No. 9 in its lineup for years, and Pedro might be the answer.

After two impressive seasons at Brighton, he has 14 Premier League goals for Chelsea this season.

He’ll likely be the focal point of Brazil’s attack this summer, which puts a lot on his shoulders for the perennial contender.

Age: 25National team appearances: 31Club team: Arsenal (England) Since beginning his Arsenal career in 2022, Saliba has become one of the best defenders in the world.

He’s an impressive athlete who was part of the French team that made it to the 2022 World Cup final.

He’ll be one of the first names on the team sheet for Le.