The Touchline, a football analysis account with over 1.67 million followers, published its selection for the best XI players from the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage on June 28. The post landed right as group play was wrapping up, with the knockout rounds looming.
The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, and expanded to 48 teams for the first time, meaning significantly more matches, more data, and more opportunities for lesser-known players to make a case for themselves on the world’s biggest stage.
Picking a best XI from that expanded pool is a considerably harder exercise than it was in 2022 or 2018. The Touchline’s selection attempts to cut through that noise, identifying the eleven players who stood out most across the group stage that kicked off on June 11.
The account has built its reputation on exactly this kind of curation. With 1.67 million followers, The Touchline sits among the more influential football analysis voices on social media, regularly publishing team-specific best XIs and tactical breakdowns. Prior to this group stage composite, the account had posted individual best XIs for France on June 8 and Colombia on June 1, building toward this comprehensive selection.
