As the 2026 Fifa World Cup tournament draws to a close, there’s much to anticipate and yet so much to look back at.
The sporting event of the year was not without its controversies and surprises, case in point, Brazil getting knocked out in the round of 16 for the first time in over three decades.
Nevertheless, here’s a list of the top 10 league players who made their debut on the global stage in the fierce battle for football glory.
Lamine Yamal
Aged 19, the Barcelona right winger made history as one of the youngest players to start a World Cup semi-final match when Spain beat European favourites France 2 – 0 and secured a place in the finals.
So far he has made 7 match appearances, scored one goal and played for a total of 496 minutes.
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian footballer who plays as a striker for English club Manchester United finally made his debut at the 2026 tournament despite playing football professionally since 2019.
He scored 7 goals in matches for his country’s national team racking up an impressive 465 minutes of play.
Norway was knocked out at the semi finals after a 2 – 1 loss to England.
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Viktor Gyökeres
Gyökeres made a resounding debut at the World Cup when he scored in Sweden’s opening game against Tunisia, firmly securing their place past the group stages.
The Arsenal striker sadly didn’t advance further than 4 appearances in the competition after France knocked out Sweden in the round of 32, but not before he garnered 360 minutes of play time.
Michael Olise
Olise joined ‘les bleus’ for the first time in their 17th World Cup appearance. The winger/attacking midfielder plays for German Club – Bayern Munich.
Despite having no goals to his name, Olise assisted in securing 5 goals for France in 7 matches and a total of 560 minutes of play.
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Désiré Doué
Much like team mate Olise, Doué who plays as an attacking midfielder for French side Paris Saint-Germain also made his World Cup debut with les bleus on 16 June.
He is considered one of the best young players in the world at age 21 and scored one goal against Norway.
Bradley Barcola
23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward not only made his World Cup debut for Les Bleus, but has become one of the tournament’s breakout stars following his impressive performance at the competition.
Aside from netting two goals of his own, Barcola assisted in one goal and is known to average one goal contribution for every 94 minutes of play, helping the French team advance to the semi-finals.
Arda Güler
Güler entered the World Cup stage in an unforgettable way, scoring the opening goal which laid the foundation for Türkiye’s 3-2 victory over the United States.
The goal also meant the 21-year-old became the youngest to score for the Turkish national team at the World Cup. He was also named ‘Man of the Match’
João Neves
The 21-year-old Paris Saint-Germain midfielder stepped for his country’s national team in 5 appearances, one of which netted him a goal.
Neves played for a total of 391 minutes and completed 7 tackles successfully in game play.
Unfortunately Portugal was knocked out after a 1- 0 defeat to Spain.
Alexander Isak
Isak’s stand out moment at the tournament came when he contributed a goal and two assists to Sweden’s 5 – 1 thrashing of Tunisia in group stages.
The 26-year-old Liverpool striker also earned a ‘Player of the Match’ title in the same game and went on to appear in 4 matches for Sweden.
Florian Wirtz
Wirtz’s World Cup was one to remember as the 23-year-old Liverpool midfileder helped his country secure a resounding victory over newbies Curacao.
Credited with an assist on the opening goal of the 7 – 1 thrashing, Wirtz created a total of 10 goal chances for Germany in the World Cup before their exit in the round of 32.
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