We get it: the Knicks haven’t been this close to a chip since the late 1900s, and American sports media isn’t overflowing with global soccer hot takes. So you’re forgiven for paying more attention to the NBA Finals than the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicked off on Thursday with group round play.
But it’s time to get your head in the game: the World Cup is the most-watched sporting event on Earth, and the U.S. hasn’t been a host country since 1994. Since then, the number of countries competing has grown from 32 to 48, with as many as 26 players per roster. If you’re doing the math, that’s 1,248 players, or about 450 athletes shy of the entire National Football League.
It’s a lot, so we did you a solid with this list of eight rising stars to watch. You’re welcome.
Amadou Onana, 24 — Belgium
In the U.S., we associate height with basketball, but length helps in soccer, too. Onana stands 6’5”, making him literally head and shoulders above most other players on the pitch. It also means he easily strides across it. He emigrated from his native Senegal to Belgium, where he’s representing the national team in the World Cup, when he was just 11 years old. Now he plays professionally for the English Premier League’s Aston Villa on a contract worth 45 million Euros (roughly $52 million). That’s well worth it for a young player who helped lead the team to a Europa League trophy this past season.
Lamine Yamal, 18 — Spain
If you hear a loud, unexplained noise when Spain takes the pitch for its first match, that might be the sound of Yamal standing on principle. Yes, he’s a bona fide star with two Spanish national team player-of-the-season titles, a European championship, three Spanish national championships with FC Barcelona and more on his resume. But don’t think winning makes him ignore disrespect. A practicing Muslim who was born in Spain to Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean parents, Yamal, in April publicly chastised Spanish fans who directed Islamophobic chants at the Egyptian national team during a match.
Bradley Barcola, 23 — France
Like Yamal, this Frenchman of Togolese descent already has multiple championships under his belt in Europe, where he plays with Paris Saint-Germain of France’s Ligue 1. Most of the recent talk about Barcola has been about the bag he could get after the tournament instead of how many goals he might score in it. PSG wants to extend his contract but hasn’t reached a deal with the winger. In the meantime, other European clubs are knocking at the door. Look for Barcola to play like he has something to prove.
Lamine Camara, 22 — Senegal
This midfielder plays professionally for Ligue 1’s Monaco FC and is making his World Cup debut. Born in Diouloulou, a tiny, rural town in his native Senegal, Camara has won an under-20 Africa Cup and an African Nations championship with the Senegalese national team. Now he wants a strong showing for his country and the continent on soccer’s biggest stage.
Dailon Livramento, 25 — Cape Verde
If you missed the impromptu celebration that some Cape Verdean airport gave when their home country’s team arrived in Boston last week, run straight to IG. It’s the smile you didn’t know you needed. Their joy was well-earned. Cape Verde, an archipelago off the coasts of Senegal and Mauritania with a large expat community in New England, is playing in its first-ever FIFA World Cup. Livramento had a lot to do with them getting there, scoring four goals in Cape Verde’s qualifying matches, including one in their 3-0 win over Eswatini, which officially secured their World Cup berth.
Danley Jean Jacques, 26 — Haiti
This list would normally be incomplete without a player from the land of wood and water, but Jamaica, considered among the Caribbean’s strongest national soccer programs, missed the World Cup cut this year. Instead, Haiti is in. Jean Jacques, a defensive midfielder, shouldn’t have much of a problem showing his teammates around. He plays professionally for Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.
Timothy Weah, 26 — USA
It’s a homecoming for Weah, a Brooklyn native who might have the most interesting background on the US Men’s National Team. His father, George, is both a former professional soccer player and a onetime president of Libera. The younger Weah followed in his dad’s athletic footsteps, playing professionally for the New York Red Bulls, Paris Saint-Germain and now, Marseille in Ligue 1. The right midfielder hopes to help USMNT and add to his trophy case of French, Italian, Scottish and CONCACAF championships.
Nico Williams, 23 — Spain
Barcola isn’t the only player who could cash in after the World Cup. Williams is already the subject of heavy transfer talk, meaning a clause in his contract with La Liga’s Athletic Club could make him a bargain for rival clubs who want to buy out the left winger’s deal. Williams has already won a European championship and a Spanish Cup, two trophies that would look great next to the biggest prize in soccer. There will be a market for him either way, but if Williams sets off fireworks in the World Cup, it will only raise demand for his services back in Spain.