In every World Cup, a number of outstanding rising players emerge; in 2010, stars shone like Alexis Sánchez, Mesut Özil, and Luis Suárez. In 2014, James Rodríguez became a bright name after leading Colombia to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in its history.

The last two tournaments saw the brilliance of Benjamin Pavard (France), Hirving Lozano (Mexico), Enzo Fernández (Argentina), and Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco), among others. A star's emergence during the World Cup does not necessarily guarantee future brilliance. Lozano and Ounahi are prime examples of players who put on dazzling displays in the World Cup and continued their careers successfully, but did not steal the spotlight this time as they did in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

The same applies to Rodríguez, who had a brilliant first season with Real Madrid in 2014–2015, but his subsequent career was greatly affected by injuries and inconsistent performance. And of course, there is also a player like Luis Suárez, who later became one of the best players of the past decade at Liverpool and then Barcelona.

Perhaps the 2026 World Cup did not witness dazzling performances from rising stars as we saw in previous tournaments. Instead, the most prominent feature was the brilliance of a number of already bright stars — Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland — who play at very high levels. However, according to ESPN, we saw some talents that amazed some with what they offered:

Diomande showed his potential to become a top-class striker (Reuters)

Yann Diomande: Leipzig left winger (Ivory Coast)

Some may think he does not belong on this list; in the 2025–2026 season, when he was 18 years old, he scored 20 goals and provided 20 assists in the German Bundesliga with Leipzig, which finished the season in third place in the Bundesliga. Even in a league that allows attacking talents to shine, young rising players rarely deliver such impressive performances, and he fully deserved to participate in the World Cup amid great anticipation for what he would offer in the tournament. However, for those who saw Diomande for the first time, he showed his potential to become a top-class striker. His most important traits are that he may already be one of the most exciting dribblers in European football, and he possesses amazing bursts of speed and tremendous physical strength, even though he is still 19 years old. Add to that his skill with both feet, which means he is a tough opponent for any defender.

According to analysts at the statistics company Opta, French star Kylian Mbappé is the only one who created more chances than Diomande in the World Cup through dribbling (9 chances for Mbappé vs 8 for Diomande), noting that the French star played 3 additional matches. The best example of Diomande's abilities was in Ivory Coast's opening group match against Ecuador in Philadelphia; we saw his brilliant dribbling and chance creation, including his wonderful pass to Elye Wahi in the first half. When Diomande was positioned on the right wing, he exhausted Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié with his constant changes of pace. Later in the second half, he moved to the left wing and became more aggressive in shooting. Diomande's performances in subsequent matches before Ivory Coast's elimination by Norway in the round of 32 did not reach the level of his stunning performance in his first match, although he showed some exceptional flashes. But it is not surprising that a big club like Paris Saint-Germain seeks to sign him this summer. Given his continuous development, it would not be surprising if by 2030, Diomande is regarded as one of the best players in the world.

American Alex Freeman's header shakes the Australian net (AP)

Alex Freeman: Villarreal defender (United States)

During its first four matches in the 2026 World Cup, the US team showed a good level without any notable gaps. It achieved convincing wins over Paraguay and Australia in the group stage, before defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32. Even considering the strength of the opponents, it can be said that it was the best series of matches the US team has ever played. What made the US team look better than expected was its optimal use of its strengths; Sergiño Dest and Anthony Robinson occupied advanced positions as overlapping full-backs to threaten the opponent. The US team also focused on direct attacking through the runs of Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman through midfield. These two factors helped it successfully break through the opponent's defenses in the middle of the field.

To make this strategy work, the US team needed a defender capable of playing in multiple positions and providing the necessary support in different areas, and Freeman was the ideal choice for that. He often played as a third center-back on the right side, but he had the flexibility to move forward when the US team had the ball in the final third. Among the brilliant passes we saw throughout the US team's World Cup campaign was Freeman's pass to McKennie as he ran on the right side into space. Freeman topped the list of defenders with the most forward passes with 28.

Freeman is also the type of defender who covers large areas of the field, which helps correct mistakes in various parts of the pitch. This included covering spaces on the flanks and defending in one-on-one situations when needed. It also required him, in some situations, to make decisive interventions to clear clear-cut chances. Of course, these good performances did not continue for the US team, as it suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Belgium. This loss (especially since the current Belgian team was the weakest in over a decade) sparked a debate about the strength of the US team, including the lack of enough rising stars. But if there is one player who can hold his head high despite this result, it is Freeman. It is true that the chances of him becoming one of the stars the US team needs by 2030 are slim, but he showed in this tournament signs of being a complete top-class defender.

Yohann Manzambi: Freiburg playmaker (Switzerland)