2026 World Cup Team of the Tournament

The World Cup has now come and gone. Like any other tournament, there were plenty of standout performers. FIFA released the official team of the tournament, and while I think they mostly got it right, I wanted to pick my own team, with a few twists.

The aim is to create a semi-functional team in a 4-2-3-1 formation, meaning there is only room for one attacking midfielder. To avoid half the team being Spanish players, I've also limited myself to two players per nation.

With that said, here is my 2026 World Cup Team of the Tournament.

Goalkeeper: Gregor Kobel, Switzerland

Many may question how Spain's Unai Simón doesn't find himself in this team, with Spain only conceding one goal all tournament, but the truth is, the Spanish shot-stopper did not face much traffic. The Spanish midfield and defense did such a good job of restricting opponents that Simón only faced an unprecedented ten shots on target all tournament, and most of them were low-quality chances. Simón did an outstanding job as a sweeper, but I felt that there were more deserving goalkeepers.

Enter Gregor Kobel, who not only single-handedly led Switzerland past Colombia to ensure their best finish at a World Cup in 72 years, but also kept them in the quarterfinal against Argentina until the 112th minute after Breel Embolo's red card. Kobel's high volume of shots faced, coupled with the degree of difficulty of his saves, secures his spot in this team.

Honorable Mentions: Unai Simón (Spain), Vozinha (Cape Verde)

Right Back: Achraf Hakimi, Morocco

Morocco may have fallen short of their 4th place finish in 2022, but make no mistake, they further established themselves as one of the ten best teams in the world at this tournament. One of the main reasons for that was Hakimi, who had to shoulder the load for this Morocco team both in attack and defense. He was directly involved in three goals from right back and was top five at the tournament for chances created per game, regardless of position. Defensively, his elite pace meant that even the best wingers struggled to get the best of him. He did not always look at his best, but he was arguably asked to do more than any other right back at the tournament, and it wasn't an outstanding World Cup for right backs in general.

Honorable Mentions: Pedro Porro (Spain), Daniel Muñoz (Colombia)

Center Back: Dayot Upamecano, France

Upamecano impressed me mightily at this World Cup. For years, he's been a player with a reputation for making mistakes in big games, particularly in the Champions League, but he proved that Didier Deschamps made the right call starting him. He formed an excellent partnership with William Saliba up until the latter's injury. Saliba was the more passive defender, and Upamecano acted as the aggressor, engaging in more duels and flying in to make challenges. In possession, he was France's main ball progressor from the back line, whether that meant breaking lines through the midfield or going direct with long balls over the top.

Center Back: Pau Cubarsí, Spain

Up until the final, I had Cubarsí's center back partner Aymeric Laporte in this spot, but his performance in the final cemented his place in this team. Playing every minute of a World Cup-winning campaign at 19 is impressive enough, but doing so while only conceding one goal and being crucial in possession is special. In the final, he repeatedly snuffed out Argentina's attacks before they could develop, all while maintaining a high line. He also came up with a vital clearance to seal the game for Spain right at the end of extra time, as the ball went right between the post and Unai Simón. It was also Cubarsí's shot that led to Mikel Merino's rebound goal to send Spain through against Belgium. Cubarsí plays with composure well beyond his years, and he showed it all tournament as he became the first defender to officially win the FIFA Young Player Award.

Honorable Mentions: Aymeric Laporte (Spain), William Saliba (France), Diney (Cape Verde), Cristian Romero (Argentina), Jhon Lucumí (Colombia)

Left Back: Nuno Mendes, Portugal

One of the very few Portuguese players who can keep his head held high after this World Cup is Nuno Mendes, who continues to prove that he's the best left back in world football. Much like his PSG teammate Hakimi, Mendes is a dual-threat fullback, creating chances and scoring goals while being athletic enough to lock down the opposing team's right winger. He was doing a fantastic job against Lamine Yamal in Portugal's Round of 16 matchup against Spain before an injury forced him to be substituted in the 56th minute, and Spain subsequently applied more pressure once that occurred.

One of the best things I can say about Nuno Mendes is that he's one of those players who, once a game, he'll do something that makes you think "I'm not sure I've ever seen that before". Marc Cucurella is unfortunate to miss out, but I couldn't exclude Cubarsí or the next player from the team.

Honorable Mentions: Marc Cucurella (Spain), Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)

Central Midfield: Rodri, Spain

Rodri has completed football. He's now a World Cup, Euros, Champions League, and Premier League winner, and was an essential part of all those triumphs. Honestly, he showed a level at this World Cup that I wasn't sure he still had, after not looking at his best for Manchester City coming off a ruptured ACL he suffered in late 2024. He grew into the tournament and was simply incredible in every knockout game. Whether it's build-up play, defensive positioning, aerial duels, tackling, switching play, ball carrying, and even creating chances when he has to, Rodri excels at so many facets of midfield play that it feels like a joke.

Like so many Spanish midfielders before him, he's a master of the pre-assist; once Spain enter the final third, he loves playing those clipped passes for the full backs or wingers to run onto and generate threat. He capped off his stellar tournament with a MOTM-worthy performance in the final, where he always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. FIFA rewarded his efforts by awarding him the Golden Ball.

Central Midfield: Youri Tielemans, Belgium

Choosing Rodri's pivot partner was the most difficult part of building this team, as there were few outstanding deeper-lying midfielders. I almost went with Martin Ødegaard, who was terrific, particularly in possession, playing a deeper role than he does for Arsenal. However, a name that has flown under the radar is Youri Tielemans. Belgium ended up overperforming relative to expectations, despite a shaky group stage. They had an epic comeback against Senegal before dismantling the USA, and gave Spain a tougher match than France or Argentina did.

Tielemans is not much of a defensive presence anymore, but his passing and ability to shoot from range are still top-notch. He was the only midfielder Rudi Garcia refused to drop all tournament before his injury in the warm-up against Spain. He cut open the USA with his passing between the lines and even attacked the box to score against Senegal when his team needed him most. It's not the flashiest pick, but it lets me make a proper team rather than shoehorn two attacking midfielders just for the sake of it.

Honorable Mentions: Martin Ødegaard (Norway), Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) Leandro Paredes (Argentina)

Attacking Midfield: Jude Bellingham, England

The last four players pick themselves; you'll be hard-pressed to find any team of the tournament that doesn't include them, starting with Jude Bellingham. It's hard to believe that there were serious debates over whether he should be starting ahead of Morgan Rogers pre-tournament, debates that Bellingham quickly proved to be nonsensical. His seven goals are the most ever by an Englishman at a single World Cup, including back-to-back knockout stage braces. His performance against Mexico at the Azteca was nothing short of legendary; in the space of 12 minutes he scored twice and came up with a last-ditch block to stop a goal at the other end. His dribbling and ball carrying also helped to relieve pressure for England, who had to withstand a flurry of Mexican attacks.

Intangibly, he's brought a fire and element of leadership that the England teams from 2010-2020 severely lacked, despite his age. With Harry Kane aging out, and there being uncertainty over the wingers and back four, it's time for Thomas Tuchel to build the team around Bellingham, who once again showed that he's among football's elite.

Honorable Mentions: Michael Olise (France), Dani Olmo (Spain)

Forward: Kylian Mbappé, France

Kylian Mbappé made it back-to-back World Cup golden boots after his brace in the third-place playoff brought his total to 10 for the tournament, a mark tied for the most at a single World Cup since 1958. With 28 goal contributions in 22 career World Cup matches, people will ask the question: Is Mbappé the greatest World Cup player of all time? Personally, I think he'll need to win it a second time for it to seriously be a debate, but there's no question that he had another phenomenal showing.

There's an eagerness to his game when he plays with France that's missing for Real Madrid, even though he still isn't defending. It's worth noting that he opened the scoring in five of the seven meaningful matches that France played in, helping to open the game up and allow the French forward line to run riot. Mbappé will be disappointed to come away without another winner's medal, but on an individual basis there isn't much more he could have done.

Forward: Erling Haaland, Norway

What more is there to say about Erling Haaland? The greatest pure goal scorer of this generation scored seven goals in five matches, including an iconic brace against Brazil in the Round of 16. He led a Norway team that hadn't qualified for any major tournament since 2000 to their best-ever finish at a World Cup. Watching Haaland is fascinating; you won't notice him very much throughout the game, when seemingly out of nowhere he'll find himself on the end of a cross or through ball, and before you know it the ball is in the back of the net.

It isn't an accident that he's always in the right place; his off-ball movement is so good that at least once a game he's going to have a chance to score. He isn't asked to do it much, but his hold-up play is underrated and is a valuable tool when necessary. He's even an excellent set piece defender due to his ability to win headers. Expect Norway to be a constant presence at international tournaments as long as Haaland is active.

Forward: Lionel Messi, Argentina

As good as Rodri was, Lionel Messi should have won the Golden Ball. His influence on a game is unmatched even at age 39. Eight goals and four assists, as amazing as those numbers are, they don't tell the whole story. His performance against England was simply mesmerizing as he pulled out to the right wing and created chance after chance with his crossing and dribbling. He dominated a team packed full of Premier League and Champions League players and dragged an Argentina team that really had no business making the final.

The team was set up to do all the running and defending for him, but once they got to the final third there was only one man who they wanted to get the ball to. Messi's ridiculous efficiency and creativity were on display for the world to witness once again. His goal against Cape Verde is the pick of the bunch, bringing the ball down with an otherworldly first touch before smashing it into the roof of the net. His level of play has people wondering: would he dare try playing in 2030 at age 43? It would be a mistake to put it past him.

Honorable Mentions: Harry Kane (England), Julian Quiñones (Mexico), Vinicius Junior (Brazil), Ismael Saibari (Morocco), Leandro Trossard (Belgium)