Best XI for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Our team of the tournament

I 2026 World Cup officially close, with Spain taking their second world title 1-0 in an extra thriller over Lionel Messi and Argentina. As the players dispersed and returned to their clubs, the select team left an indelible mark on North America, earning a place in our Best XI for the biggest, most expansive World Cup in football history.

This is a historic tournament of 48 teams it brought together the past, present, and future of the world starfeaturing legacy icons such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Luka Modric alongside modern sports heroes in Kylian Mbappe and Rodri, as well as rising stars such as Erling Haaland, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, and Desire Doue.

While figures from every era produce iconic moments on the field, only 11 players made World Soccer Talk’s dream listarranged in a traditional 4-3-3 formation.

He has a goalkeeper and defenders

in goal, Unai Simon he wrote a historic campaign, setting a World Cup record for consecutive shutout minutes while taking home the Golden Glove with seven clean sheets. Conceded by one goal when Spain faced Belgium in the quarterfinals, the Athletic Bilbao stopper acted as a safety net at the back. La Roja‘s march to glory.

Marc Cucurella #24 from Spain.

Spain also swept the full ranks in our XI, the anchor is Pedro Porro on the right again Marc Cucurella on the left. Combining endless passing runs with solid defending, the duo locked down the ground completely and gave Spain the most complete fullback tandem in the tournament.

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Pau Cubarsithe winner of the FIFA Young Player Award, earned his place at fullback after fearlessly orchestrating Spain’s defense against Ronaldo, Mbappe, and Messi, winning his tournament with an undisputed victory in the final. His teammate is Cristian Romero from Argentinathat despite his team scoring a total of eight goals in the entire competition, he proved to be a standout player, as a hero in the back line with a vital attack and defense in the air.

Midfielders

He was awarded the World Cup Golden Ball as the best player in the tournament, Rodri it dictates the tempo of every Spanish gameleading all players with an impressive 94.5 completions per game. Working alongside him, Jude Bellingham it served as the heartbeat of Englandcontributing directly to seven goals and propelling the Three Lions to a third-place finish, their best overseas performance in program history.

Working in an attacking role, Michael Olise circle the center stage following the individual competition. In his World Cup debut, the Bayern Munich defender recorded seven assists, breaking 56-year-old Pele’s record of one (6) which he set at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

Forward

He stands on the right wing, Lionel Messi provided another epic, timeless World Cup performancealmost single-handedly driving Argentina back to the finals. The legendary captain scored eight goals and provided four assists, including 12 of Argentina’s 19 goals during his North American run.

Forward forward, Erling Haaland gaining popularity after an impressive debut campaign that saw him score seven goals in just five gamesleading Norway to their first World Cup appearance in 28 years. The Manchester City star announced he was on the world stage with a fine two-goal performance against Brazil in the Round of 16, advancing the Scandinavian nation to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

Messi wrote after the semi-final

Around the front line, Kylian Mbappe claimed last place after taking home the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals and four assists. At just 27 years of age, the French star cemented his place among the game’s all-time greats, taking his career total to an incredible 22 World Cup goals in 22 career appearances.

Best XI for the 2026 World Cup (4-3-3)

• He has a goalkeeper: Unai Simon (Spain).
• The protectors: Pedro Porro (Spain), Pau Cubarsi (Spain), Cristian Romero (Argentina), Marc Cucurella (Spain).
• Midfielders: Rodri (Spain), Jude Bellingham (England), Michael Olise (France).
• Forward: Lionel Messi (Argentina), Erling Haaland (Norway), Kylian Mbappe (France).

Honorable mentions

Several outstanding players delivered exceptional campaigns for their national teams, just missing out on the starting XI:

• Vozinha (Cape Verde)
• Daniel Munoz (Colombia)
• Fabian Ruiz (Spain)
• Malik Tillman (USMNT)
• Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
• Harry Kane (England)
• Julian Quiñones (Mexico)
• Ismael Saibari (Morocco)
• Ayase Ueda (Japan)
• Ousmane Dembele (France)

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