4 Players Who Could Steal The Show At The 2026 World Cup

Every World Cup creates a star nobody saw coming. Colombia's James Rodriguez dazzled at the 2014 tournament in Brazil with his spectacular goals that ushered a move to Real Madrid. And after helping Argentina lift the trophy at Qatar 2022, Enzo Fernández parlayed a £106 million record move to Chelsea in January 2023. 

Someone is going to surprise us all again this summer. Here are four names to circle before the tournament starts.

Deniz Undav, Germany

(Photo by Stefan Matzke - sampics/Getty Images)

Age: 29
Position: Striker
Club: VfB Stuttgart (German Bundesliga)

The conversation around Germany begins and ends with Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Understandable, they possess that otherworldly ability. But quietly sitting behind them is a striker who just posted 19 goals and six assists in 28 Bundesliga appearances — making him one of the league's most efficient strikers. He then scored twice against Finland days before the squad flew out.

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann trusts him. Germany will have games where it needs to break something open off the bench. Undav has been waiting his entire career for exactly that moment to break out of the shadows on the international scene and become one of the main men to lead the squad.

Esmir Bajraktarević, Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Photo by Samir Jordamovic/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Age: 21
Position: Winger
Club: PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie)

Born in Appleton, Wisconsin. Raised in a Bosnian household. Came up through the New England Revolution. Switched his international allegiance from the United States to Bosnia — and then stepped up and converted the decisive penalty to knock Italy out of its third consecutive World Cup.

He's only 21 and plays at PSV. He's a left-footed