The 17 Best Players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Seasoned captains and teenage breakout stars shared the same stage this summer, from golden-boot chases to a final decided in extra time. Who was the tournament's true standout?

1

Kylian Mbappe

France striker who won the adidas Golden Boot with 10 goals, becoming back-to-back top scorer.

1000pts

2

Ousmane Dembele

France forward who scored a group-stage hat-trick and added more goals through the knockouts.

551pts

3

Lionel Messi

Argentina's captain who scored 8 goals and led his side to the 2026 final at age 39.

494pts

4

Unai Simon

Spain's goalkeeper who won the Golden Glove with seven clean sheets.

494pts

5

Marc Cucurella

Spain's attacking left-back who earned a place in most pundits' Team of the Tournament.

494pts

6

Harry Kane

England captain and striker who scored 6 goals during the tournament.

494pts

7

Ferran Torres

Spain forward whose extra-time substitute goal won the 2026 World Cup final.

428pts

8

Pedro Porro

Spain's marauding right wing-back who was one of the tournament's standout defenders.

428pts

9

Enzo Fernandez

Argentina's box-to-box midfielder who anchored the run to the final alongside Messi.

350pts

10

Rodri

Spain's midfield anchor who won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best overall player.

350pts

11

Lamine Yamal

Spain's teenage winger widely rated the tournament's most dangerous dribbler.

257pts

12

Denis Undav

Germany forward who emerged as a surprise Golden Boot contender during the tournament.

257pts

13

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's veteran forward who scored 3 goals in his record-setting final World Cup appearance.

257pts

14

Erling Haaland

Norway's striker who scored 7 goals in his first-ever World Cup appearance.

257pts

15

Pedri

Spain's composed deep-lying playmaker who controlled tempo throughout the run to the title.

257pts

16

Jude Bellingham

England midfielder who scored 7 goals, including in the third-place playoff.

143pts

17

Pau Cubarsi

Spain's 19-year-old defender who won the Young Player of the Tournament award.

143pts