Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane … the most famous stars in soccer will be front and center at the 2026 World Cup this summer as 48 teams vie for glory.
But beyond those household names, who are the newcomers to the international scene that could have a big say on who lifts the trophy in July?
We’ve combed through the possible squads and picked out a series of players who look set to play a key role at the tournament or perhaps have an impact off the bench, but have only earned 10 caps or fewer for their country so far.
– Who are the best U21 men’s players in the world?
– USMNT big board: Is Pochettino’s squad already decided?
– World Cup kit ranking: Every jersey we’ll see this summer (released so far)
– O’Hanlon: Ranking all 48 national teams at this year’s World Cup
STARTERS
Elliot Anderson, CM, England – 7 caps
Key stat: Has the third-most tackles and interceptions (90) in the Premier League this season.
There’s little doubt who Declan Rice‘s first-choice central midfield partner will be for England this summer. Anderson has enjoyed two exceptional seasons with Nottingham Forest and has seamlessly transferred that form to the national team.
Despite having just seven caps to his name, he feels like an experienced, steady presence in the middle. His all-round game is extremely strong — he is energetic and defensively active, yet he is also comfortable in handling a huge volume of passes in a controlled possession system. There’s a good reason he has already been repeatedly linked with summer transfer moves to Manchester City and Manchester United.
Luka Vuskovic, CB, Croatia – 4 caps
Key stat: He has a 75.3% aerial duel win rate in the Bundesliga.
“Vuskovic is not normal.” That was the assessment of Croatian media after the 19-year-old’s man of the match performance against Colombia last week. There is a growing clamor not only to include him in the World Cup squad, but to name him as a regular starter.
Every challenge that is thrown his way, he aces. On loan at Hamburg from Tottenham Hotspur, he has already been named “Bundesliga Young Player of the Month” four times this season — and pipped Kane to the Bundesliga’s “Player of the Year so far” award in January. He has been similarly impressive in his first senior international games, too.
Luis Suárez, ST, Colombia – 10 caps
Key stat: He has scored 24 goals in 25 league games for Sporting CP this season.
The last time Colombia attended a World Cup (2018), their strike force consisted of Radamel Falcao, Carlos Bacca and Luis Muriel. All three are now long retired from the international scene, meaning Los Cafeteros‘ attack will carry a very different feel this time around.
At the center of it appears to be Suárez, who has enjoyed a massive glow-up in 2025-26. He is the player Sporting CP chose to replace Arsenal-bound Viktor Gyökeres with and he has responded with an impressive 24 goals in 25 league games so far. He has four goals in 10 games for the national team and has surpassed Jhon Durán in the pecking order.
Nico O’Reilly, LB, England – 3 caps
Key stat: He has won the most duels (132) for Manchester City in the Premier League.
No matter which configuration manager Thomas Tuchel decides upon, England’s defense is going to look incredibly inexperienced.
Nothing exemplifies that better than the fact O’Reilly, who has just three caps and has only been playing left back for about a year, looks a strong bet to play a significant part on the left flank. He has blossomed under Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and deserves this chance, and will feel good about beating Tino Livramento (five caps) and Lewis Hall (four caps) to the starting role.
ROTATION
Deniz Undav, ST, Germany – 7 caps
Key stat: Only Bayern striker Kane (31) has more goals in the Bundesliga than Undav’s 18 for VfB Stuttgart.
Undav is the most natural striker and finisher in Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann’s plans, and is only behind Kane in the Golden Boot standings.
He probably won’t start many, if any, games for Germany this summer — Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade are ahead of him in the pecking order — but he offers something very different off the bench and could play a big super-sub role.
Nico Paz, AM, Argentina – 8 caps
Key stat: He has 16 goal contributions in Serie A this season.
At 38-years-old, Lionel Messi can only play so many minutes at the top level. Others will need to step in and relieve him — either as a starter or a substitute — and right now the most likely candidate appears to be Paz.
The 21-year-old is having an incredible, Player of the Season-worthy campaign in Serie A with Como. He is a creative, clever, inventive attacking midfielder who also excels from set-piece situations.
Tomás Araújo, CB, Portugal – 3 caps
Key stat: He has committed just six fouls in 20 Primeira Liga games.
Araújo is enjoying a true breakout campaign with Benfica, where he has leapfrogged former wonderkid António Silva to a consistent place in José Mourinho’s starting XI. Should the Eagles avoid defeat in the final seven league games, they will complete a remarkable unbeaten season.
That has earned the 23-year-old a look-in at international level and he has made a good first impression. Given Rúben Dias has struggled with injury in 2026, belief is growing in Portugal that Araújo could end up being fast-tracked into a sizable role in defense this summer.
Dean Huijsen, CB, Spain – 7 caps
Key stat: He made 11.38 passes into the final third per game — third-most in LaLiga this season.
The cornerstone of Spain’s style of play is possession, so it is essential they have slick passers in the defensive line. Huijsen is certainly that; he can circulate the ball cleanly, push passes into forward areas and even embark on mazy dribbles.
There’s a lot of competition in his position, though, with the experienced Aymeric Laporte seemingly locking up one center back slot, leaving Huijsen to fight it out with Barcelona‘s Pau Cubarsí for the other. The reality is they will probably share it, given the amount of games Spain expect to play.
Igor Thiago and João Pedro, ST, Brazil – 7 and 2 caps, respectively
Key stat: They are the second and third top goal scorers in the Premier League with 19 and 14 goals, respectively.
Carlo Ancelotti is known for fielding tactically fluid, attacking teams, so Pedro seems like a natural pick up front for this version of Brazil. He has developed as a goal scorer but can link play brilliantly too, meaning he’s a great option outside of Matheus Cunha up front.
Then there is Thiago, who scored his first goal for his nation on Tuesday in what was just his second appearance. He is a bigger, brutish, more traditional option and there is always a place for that. How Ancelotti moves between his No. 9 options will be fascinating.
Hugo Ekitike, ST, France – 8 caps
Key stat: He has 23 goals and assists in all competitions in his debut season for Liverpool.
France‘s depth runs deep in the forward line, and when you have global stars (like Kylian Mbappé) and reigning Champions League winners (like Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué) in the group, it can be hard to get a look in.
That is probably why a player of Ekitikes quality has been used so sparingly by his nation so far, but he is in good form and looks set to nab a spot in the squad. From there? You never know how things might fall during the chaos of a tournament.
SHOCK CALL-UPS
Lennart Karl, AM, Germany – 2 caps
Key stat: He has 13 goal contributions in the Bundesliga and the Champions League
Karl’s breakout season with Bayern has snowballed into an international callup and a late run at the World Cup squad. He debuted for Germany during this window and impressed.
Paul Wanner & Carney Chukwuemeka, CM, Austria – 2 caps each
Key stat: Wanner has 4 goal contributions in 14 league starts on loan at PSV; Chukwuemeka scored on his Austria debut.
Two promising talents, from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, respectively, have declared for Austria and earned their first caps in March. They clearly have their eyes on this summer’s tournament.
Rayan, FW, Brazil – 1 cap
Key stat: He has 0.4 goal contributions per game played, the fifth-most among Brazilian-born players in the Premier League this season.
What a 2026 it has been for Rayan. In January, he made the move from Vasco da Gama to the Premier League with AFC Bournemouth, and now he has made his Brazil bow. He is on the fringes of Ancelotti’s squad and might yet win a World Cup place.
Max Dowman, FW, England – Uncapped
Key stat: He is the Premier League’s youngest-ever goal scorer (16 years, 73 days).
Tuchel resisted the urge to call up Dowman in March, following the 16-year-old’s heroics in Arsenal‘s recent 2-0 win over Everton. He did not, however, rule out picking him for the World Cup, and there is still a chance that happens if the teenage decides more games during the Premier League title run-in. But he’s not even played for the U21s… he has nine caps for the U19s and recently scored a breathtaking goal against Portugal.
Senny Mayulu, CM, France – Uncapped
Key stat: He has 10 goal contributions in Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Didier Deschamps is famously cautious in his selections, meaning Mayulu is yet to be capped by France despite having scored a goal in a Champions League final and putting together a breakout season at PSG. However, he could yet win the veteran coach’s trust.
