The main stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Who will play at the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup (2026 World Cup), which started on June 11 in the USA, Canada and Mexico, promises to be a real parade of star players. The tournament will bring together the world's top soccer players, from veterans Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to rising talents such as Lamin Yamal and Arda Guler. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

The last World Cup of Messi, Ronaldo and Modric

The main intrigue of the world championship is perhaps the last chance to see two of the greatest footballers of our time on the same stage: Argentine Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo. The winner of eight Golden Balls, the 2022 world champion Messi is going to defend the title at his sixth and probably last World Cup. The Argentine striker continues to score goals for Inter Miami (12 goals and 7 assists in the MLS) and does not hide that he dreams of repeating the triumph.

Portugal's captain and national team leader Ronaldo will also play in his sixth World Cup. For the 41-year—old veteran, this is the last chance to close the main "gestalt" in his professional career - to lift the World Cup over his head and lead Portugal to the main trophy of world football.

Another player whose name is forever inscribed in the history of football, 40—year-old Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, will also take part in the World Cup. Despite the fact that the Croatian national team does not have such a high level of players as Brazil or Spain, the Checkers have held the last two tournaments at the highest level, taking second place at the World Cup in Russia and third at the championship in Qatar. In addition, Croatia reached the final of the League of Nations in 2023. These results were largely achieved thanks to Modric, who has become the epitome of midfield play in the 21st century, along with Spaniards Xavi and Iniesta. This tournament is the final one for Modric, and the Croat will do everything possible to win the World Cup with the national team and leave on the highest football note.

Modern stars

The veterans are followed by a galaxy of players who are at their peak and will be the main faces of world football for the next decade. One of them is the captain of the French national team, the leader of the attacking line and one of the main contenders for the title of top scorer — Kylian Mbappe. He has already won two finals in a row at the World Cups (2018, 2022). And if the French won gold medals in Russia, then at the World Cup in Qatar they lost the title to Argentina in the final game in a penalty shootout. The World Championship is a great opportunity for the Frenchman to confirm his title as one of the best players on the planet and finally get the Golden Ball.

Harry Kane is another player for whom the chances of winning the Golden Ball largely depend on the outcome of the World Cup. The Englishman had a fantastic season at Bayern Munich, reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and won the German Bundesliga (German championship) with a record performance, scoring 36 goals in 34 championship games. At the same time, the British, unlike France, despite the "stellar" generation, did not win significant trophies in the 21st century, having twice stumbled in the finals of the European Championship (CHE) in 2021 and 2024 and taking fourth place at the world championship in Russia. Thus, if England wins the World Cup, Kane's chances of winning the World Cup will increase many times.

The main star of the Norwegian national football team is Manchester City striker Erling Holland. The striker, unlike many other world-class footballers, does not play in a strong national team. So, in this century, the Norwegians played only in the group stage of Euro 2000, after which they did not qualify for major international tournaments. However, thanks to Holland, Norway had an incredible qualifying round, scoring 24 points out of a possible 24, and confidently qualified for the tournament. Over the past few seasons, the striker has regularly scored many goals in the most competitive football league in the world and is estimated at a record €200 million according to the Transfermarkt portal.

The main prodigies of the World Cup

In addition to the already established and titled legends, the World Cup will be attended by young talents who are just starting their career, but have already managed to reach certain heights in sports. The main one is the midfielder of the Spanish national team Lamin Yamal, who after the triumphant Euro 2024 is considered the main contender for the award for the best young player of the tournament. Real Madrid's Turkish playmaker Arda Guler and Portugal's Joao Neves are not far behind the Spanish prodigy. Alexander Pavlovich, the cold-blooded midfielder of Bayern Munich, is called the leader of the next generation of the German national team, while the young winger Dizere Douai shines among the French.

For every young player, the World Championship is not just a significant international tournament, but also a unique opportunity to show their talent, technique and other professional qualities at the highest level in football, attract the attention of the world's grandees, receive contract offers from the world's top clubs and improve their financial conditions.

RPL participants at the World Cup

Although the Russian national team did not qualify for the tournament, 12 players from the Russian Premier League (RPL) will play in Canada, the USA and Mexico. Among them are Brazilians from Zenit Douglas Santos and Luis Enrique, Mexican Cesar Montes (Lokomotiv) and Colombian John Cordoba from Krasnodar, the best player of last season in the Russian Premier League.