Breaking Down 1 World Cup Player To Watch From All 48 Teams

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will ultimately come to life because of its constellation of stars, and this summers tournament will be full of them. 

From living legends like Argentinas Lionel Messi and Portugals Cristiano Ronaldo to goal machines Kylian Mbappé of France and Erling Haaland of Norway — these are the names wholl take center stage starting in June. 

Heres one player from each of the 48 World Cup squads worth keeping a close eye on.

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Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
 

Age: 34
National team appearances: 123
Club: Fulham (England) 

Jiménez is part of Mexicos veteran core. He scored nine of El Tris 22 goals in 2025, including a brace in both the Nations League semifinal and final. Jimenez also netted the winning goal in the Gold Cup semifinal and added another in the win over the U.S. in the tournament final. Jimenez, who has already played in three World Cups, has also scored nine goals for Fulham across all competitions this season and is in ideal form entering an important summer with a World Cup on home soil.

Notable stat: Jiménez has scored 44 goals for Mexico, which is three shy of moving into second all time and nine shy of breaking the record held by Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. Jimenez’s European club career includes stops at Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Wolverhampton and Fulham. 

Age: 25
National team appearances: 30
Club: Burnley (England)

Foster brings a strong attacking presence to the Bafana Bafana. Hes fast and can be dangerous in the buildup, but his teammates need to find ways to get him the ball. The 25-year-old striker plays for Burnley in the Premier League, where he has scored three goals this season. Foster netted two goals and had two assists in the Africa Cup of Nations as South Africa made it to the round of 16. 

Notable stat: Foster has made nearly 100 appearances for Burnley since joining the club in 2022 and has scored 10 goals for South Africa in 30 appearances.

Age: 33
National team appearances: 142
Club: LAFC (United States)

Known as “Sonny,” South Korea’s undisputed star and captain will be a fan favorite. Son is South Koreas most-capped player and is close to becoming the programs all-time leading goal-scorer — perhaps hell break that record over the summer. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he led the Taegeuk Warriors to a dramatic group-stage win over Portugal, but they fell in the Round of 16 when they lost to Brazil. The winger is in good form for LAFC and leads MLS this season in assists.

Notable stat: Before his move to LAFC in 2024, Son spent 10 seasons at Tottenham, where he scored 173 goals in 454 appearances.

Age: 32
National team appearances: 89
Club: West Ham United (England)

Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick will likely score goals this summer, but Souček will provide reliability in the midfield for Czechia. Souček has been the team’s longtime captain, and he led the squad to qualify for the World Cup by beating both Ireland and Denmark on penalties during the UEFA playoffs in March. Souček was also nominated as the Czech Footballer of the Year in 2025.

Notable stat: Souček has mad