The group stage of the 2026 World Cup is now over, and there has already been a surfeit of talking points to whet the appetite of football fans across the globe. Away from the political tensions that have defined the tournament off the pitch, several teams have emerged as early favourites for glory.
Argentina look a safe bet to go far again after winning it under Lionel Messi’s guidance in 2022, while France’s attacking play has also seen them maintain a 100% start this summer with real authority. Meanwhile, Morocco, the USA and Japan have emerged as genuine dark horses, showing enough resilience and quality to suggest deep runs, while others have already fallen by the wayside, including Scotland , Uruguay and the Czech Republic.
England , having made a statement of intent with a 4-2 win over Croatia, before a damp squib against Ghana, secured a 2-0 victory over Panama, and will play DR Congo in the round of 32. But it took them over an hour to find the back of the Panamanian net, meaning it took them over two and a half hours to score after Marcus Rashford sealed the deal in Dallas.
But what about the players themselves within those teams? The standout performers so far have been ranked based on their average WhoScored rating.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are all expected to finish among the top goalscorers in this summer's tournament.
30-21
Kicking things off is Premier League star Declan Rice, who has been a commanding presence in the England midfield alongside Manchester City-bound Elliot Anderson. Rice's England captain, Harry Kane, isn't too far in front with a rating of 7.53, whose three goals in the group stage for the Three Lions were crucial as they topped Group L.
Liverpool pair Florian Wirtz (7.53) and Virgil van Dijk (7.56) feature next, who, much like Rice and Kane, go through to the knockout stages as group winners with Germany and the Netherlands respectively. Jonathan David's hat-trick against Qatar, followed up by a solid performance against Switzerland keeps his rating high at 7.57, as well as German super sub, Deniz Undav, who boasts the same figure. The former Brighton man has three goals and two assists in just 88 minutes and was unlucky to not start Germany's final group match against Ecuador.
30 Best Players at 2026 World Cup Based on Stats (30-21)
Player (Country)
Declan Rice (England)
7.51
Breel Embolo (Switzerland)
7.51
Aymeric Laporte (Spain)
7.52
Harry Kane (England)
7.53
Florian Wirtz (Germany)
7.53
Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)
7.56
Julian Quinones (Mexico)
7.57
Matias Galarza (Paraguay)
7.57
Jonathan David (Canada)
7.57
Deniz Undav (Germany)
7.57
20-11
Spanish right-back Marcos Llorente came back into the Spain team that faced Uruguay in place of Pedro Porro and won Man of the Match, but only time will tell if that's enough to convince Luis de la Fuente to give him the nod for their round of 32 match against Austria. Centre backs Nico Schlotterbeck (7.60) and Ruben Dias (7.63) follow him. However, in one of the sadder stories to come from the tournament, Schlotterbeck, who had been subject to interest from Real Madrid before the tournament, sustained an injury to his MCL, which has ended his tournament early.
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The French duo of Michael Olise (7.67) and Aurelien Tchouameni (7.70) come shortly after, before one of the transfer window's most talked about players makes his way into the conversation. RB Leipzig and Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande has had a stellar tournament so far, with his 7.71 rating proving that he was an essential part of the Ivory Coast side that made history by getting to the knockout stage for the first time.
Despite Harry Kane netting three goals in the group stage, Jude Bellingham has likely been England's best player and just misses out on the top 10, with a rating of 7.74. The Real Madrid midfielder has been running the show for the Three Lions and currently has two goals and an assist whilst displaying a work-rate that few can match.
30 Best Players at 2026 World Cup Based on Stats (20-11)
Player (Country)
Roberto Alvarado (Mexico)
7.58
Marcos Llorente (Spain)
7.59
Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany)
7.60
Ruben Dias (Portugal)
7.63
Alireza Beiranvand (Iran)
7.66
Michael Olise (France)
7.67
Aurelien Tchouameni (France)
7.70
Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast)
7.71
Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt)
7.72
Jude Bellingham (England)
7.74
10-1
After Carlo Ancelotti initially opted to start Brentford hitman Igor Thiago, Matheus Cunha (7.75) came into the side and locked down his place as Brazil's starting striker. The Manchester United man has since locked down the starting spot after scoring three goals in two matches. Cody Gakpo, who seems to be doing much better for country than he does club, earns a place in seventh, averaging a score of 7.85.
Paris Saint Germain teammates Achraf Hakimi (7.87) and Ousmane Dembele (8.16) come straight after. Dembele, the current holder of the Ballon d'Or, did his chances of defending the award a huge favour with a first half hat-trick against Norway.
Another winger who will be vying for a Ballon d'Or come October is Vinicius Junior, whose four goals, with at least one scored in every group match, gives him at place in fourth and a rating of 8.29. That's still a decent amount behind Kylian Mbappe (8.33) and Erling Haaland (8.87), but nobody has reached Messi's pedestal, with his score of 8.92, reflecting the fact he's still one of the best in the world , scoring six of Argentina's goals so far as he eyes immortality once again.
30 Best Players at 2026 World Cup Based on Stats (10-1)
Player (Country)
Matheus Cunha (Brazil)
7.75
Nathan Saliba (Canada)
7.80
Leandro Trossard (Belgium)
7.84
Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
7.85
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
7.87
Ousmane Dembele (France)
8.16
Vinicius Junior (Brazil)
8.29
Kylian Mbappe (France)
8.33
Erling Haaland (Norway)
8.87
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
8.92
Stats courtesy of Whoscored (correct as of 28/06/2026)
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