The World Cup has always been the stage on which the planet’s elite strut their stuff. A truly global audience is the finest motivation possible and this year’s expanded 48-team tournament allows for even more superstars than usual. Around every corner is a world-beater determined to fire their nation to glory. Not all of the world’s greats will feature in North America, either due to their nation’s underperformance or cruel injuries, but the majority of the game’s defining talents will have the opportunity to make their mark. With that in mind, here’s an XI of the best players going to the 2026 World Cup. GK: Thibaut Courtois Thibaut Courtois is still the world’s best stopper. | Omar Havana/Getty ImagesThe World Cup is seldom won by a country without an elite goalkeeper. What Belgium lacks in depth and defense, it more than makes up for with the planet’s most assured stopper. Thibaut Courtois continues to set the standard for goalkeepers, the 34-year-old’s towering frame and cat-like reflexes making him nigh-on impossible to overcome. On his day, he can prove a one-man brick wall. There are some phenomenal stoppers heading to North America this summer, but the Real Madrid ace stands tallest. RB: Achraf HakimiAchraf Hakimi helped Morocco to the 2022 semifinals. | Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty ImagesHeading into the tournament off the back of his second successive Champions League title, Achraf Hakimi will be brimming with belief as he aims to lead Morocco to another mightily impressive World Cup campaign. Having helped the African behemoths reach a record semifinal at the 2022 tournament, the Paris Saint-Germain star remains his nation’s talisman despite being stationed at right back.Hakimi’s forward forays from defense, unmatched speed and attacking ingenuity make him the world’s best in his position. CB: William SalibaWilliam Saliba’s involvement is uncertain. | Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty ImagesArsenal boasted the sternest defense in 2025–26 and that’s in no small part down to the elegance and composure of William Saliba. The Frenchman’s grace in and out of possession was crucial to Arsenal winning the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years and reaching only a second ever Champions League final, Saliba able to wrestle with the world’s sharpest center forwards and come out on top.Injury has cast doubt over his participation at the World Cup, and France will be desperate to have the colossus available. CB: GabrielGabriel was the best center back in the world across the 2025–26 season. | Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images.Arguably even more impressive than his Arsenal center back partner Saliba last season was Brazilian titan Gabriel. The campaign may have ended on a sour note for the defender in the Champions League final, but a missed spot kick doesn’t detract from a season filled with mammoth performances and vital goal contributions. The 28-year-old proved an immovable object for much of the term, rarely bested by Europe’s leading attackers. Brazil needs similar from him this summer. LB: Nuno MendesNuno Mendes continues to thrive at PSG. | Alexander Hassenstein/Getty ImagesArsenal’s center halves are flanked by PSG’s flying full backs, with Nuno Mendes rounding out an astonishing defensive unit. Much like clubmate Hakimi, the Portugal international is at his best when bombing up the wing, adding his pace and powerful running to attacking sequences—something witnessed in France’s capital on a regular basis. There are holes in his game defensively, but fortunately Mendes boasts the recovery speed and tenacity to make up for any lapses in concentration. CM: VitinhaPSG’s maestro will dazzle in North America. | Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty ImagesAnother trailblazer for the European champions is Vitinha, who has rightly been heralded as the best midfielder in the world over the past year. The Portugal and PSG star is not your typical defensive midfielder, lacking the raw power and destructive mindset of his positional peers, but he comes alive when in possession. Setting the tempo for club and country with his expert distribution and acute intelligence, he’s simply joyous to watch. Vitinha is the orchestrator for the world’s best club side and will surely translate his stellar form to the international stage this summer. CM: PedriPedri will prove crucial for Spain this summer. | Christian Kaspar-Bartke/UEFA/Getty ImagesBuilt similarly to Vitinha with his incisive passing and playmaking abilities from deep positions is Spain and Barcelona’s Pedri, who rivals the PSG star for the tag of best midfielder in the world. Pedri reached a career-high 12 assists for a season as he propeled Barça to La Liga glory in 2025–26, ensuring he enters the World Cup in sparkling form and with his creative confidence shining bright. Pedri will be essential to reigning European champions Spain clinching a second world title, providing Luis de la Fuente offers him the freedom to dazzle. RW: Lamine YamalLamine Yamal is the best right winger on the planet. | Xavi Bonilla/DeFodi Images/Getty ImagesLamine Yamal embarks on his first World Cup this summer, but is no stranger to sparkling on the international stage. The precocious teenager was integral to Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph and has improved vastly even in the two years since. A season-ending injury sustained back in April threatens to disrupt his rhythm ahead of Spain’s North American adventure, but Yamal’s presence in De la Fuente’s roster serves as a seismic boost to La Roja’s chances of glory. Yamal is simply unplayable when waltzing on the right wing, possessing every tool to unlock an opposition defence at a moment’s notice. AM: Michael OliseMichael Olise stars in a phenomenal France attack. | Michael Owens/Getty ImagesMichael Olise’s domestic treble-winning campaign has seen him deployed primarily on the right wing, but the France international is equally comfortable conjuring his magic in central areas. The 2025–26 Bundesliga Player of the Season arrives in North America following his best ever individual campaign, which yielded an outstanding 53 goal involvements in just 57 matches. The balletic forward is not blessed with sprinter’s speed, but makes amends with unrivaled technical proficiency, a masterful left foot and gazelle-like agility. He’s one of the game’s most aesthetically pleasing stars. LW: Kylian MbappéKylian Mbappé has already won the World Cup. | Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty ImagesKylian Mbappé’s 86 goals across two seasons with Real Madrid has still failed to endear him to the Santiago Bernabéu faithful, but there’s no such scrutiny when he dons a France jersey. Didier Deschamps’s team is built around the generational talent, whose lack of work out of possession is accounted for by the industriousness of many around about him. While Mbappé has spent the last few campaigns operating as a central striker, his best position is arguably still on the left wing, allowing him to wreak havoc on opposition right backs. ST: Harry KaneHarry Kane is England’s great hope. | Michael Regan/The FA/Getty ImagesNobody was able to match Harry Kane’s goalscoring credentials in 2025–26. The Bayern Munich forward netted a frankly ludicrous 61 goals in just 51 matches en route to a domestic trio of trophies. Such numbers are promising for England, who desperately need Kane in top form to end 60 years of agony for the men’s team at major tournaments. If the Three Lions are to go deep in North America, Kane will be at the heart of the success. England boasts the most natural goalscorer in world soccer and Thomas Tuchel must do everything in his power to serve his skipper at every opportunity. READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow