With more teams than ever participating in the World Cup , it stands to reason that more players than ever will be in the tournament—1,248 across 48 teams to be exact. Of that number, a significant chunk will spend the entire tournament wearing training bibs. (Sorry, third-choice goalkeepers.) And of those who do get minutes, only a select bunch are likely to truly define the tournament. Among them are the names that follow, our ranking of the 20 Best Players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup , weighted heavily toward attacking talent. If you’re putting a marker down for the Golden Boot winner , you’re in the right place. Country: Portugal Position: F Club: Al-Nassr FC Age: 41 Could this be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last dance on the World Cup stage? Surely. At 41, the Portugal captain remains a focal point of the national team and continues to score goals at a remarkable rate for Al-Nassr.…