Kylian Mbappe, Rodri & GOAL's 2026 World Cup Team of the Tournament

Vozinha, Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper, captured the imagination in North America, emerging as the minnows' most important player on an unlikely run to the knockout rounds. The Blue Sharks might not have won a single match , but the shot-stopper was instrumental in their trio of group-stage draws with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, ensuring his side collected the minimum amount of points required to earn a blockbuster last-32 tie against the holders Argentina.

Vozinha rose to prominence after racking up seven saves in the remarkable goalless draw with the eventual champions in Cape Verde's opening game, and he would surpass that feat against Argentina in the knockouts by making another eight stops, as his side pushed Messi and Co. all the way before just falling short in extra-time.

Vozinha is now a cult hero, and his name is etched into World Cup folklore. He's even had a new species of sea creature named after him!

A World Cup has the power to be transformative for a player's career, and Pedro Porro is certainly someone who appears to have benefitted in North America. The Tottenham defender wasn't even Spain's starting right-back going into the tournament, but he didn't look back after replacing Atletico Madrid's Marcos Llorente in La Roja's line-up for the last-32 clash with Austria. Now, he is a world champion.

Porro demonstrated shone in that tie, keeping Austria's left flank quiet and demonstrating his attacking instincts by popping up in the opposition box to head his side into a two-goal lead. Keeping his place against Portugal in the round of 16, Porro was among Spain's standout performers, making more defensive contributions than anyone else on the pitch (nine), and he was impressive again - especially in attack - against Belgium in the last eight.

If that wasn't enough already, he delivered once more in the semi-finals, firing home the second goal like a seasoned striker to put the game beyond France, and his cross led to the goal in the final, too.

Alongside Porro in Spain's rock-solid backline, Pau Cubarsi played with a quality that belied his 19 years of age, remarkably emerging as the tournament's standout centre-half in North America. The teenager is a huge part of the reason why Luis de la Fuente's side conceded just once throughout their triumphant World Cup campaign and deservedly claimed the Young Player Award.

Cubarsi can count Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappe and Messi among the superstar forwards he kept quiet en route to lifting the trophy, with his performance against the Frenchman in the semi-final particularly impressive as he nullified Les Bleus' main attacking threat. He demonstrated why he is so highly rated by his club side Barcelona with his passing ability and composure on the ball, helping to progress the play up the pitch with confidence and poise.

It wasn't a vintage World Cup defensively for Argentina as the holders flirted with a premature exit throughout the knockout rounds and only reached the final by the skin of their teeth, but few embody their bite and never-say-die attitude like diminutive Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez.

What he lacks in height the defender more than made up for in ball-playing ability and, of course, mastery of the dark arts. Statistically, he was among the best central defenders at the tournament, and he came up clutch in an attacking sense, too - providing an assist for Messi with a pinpoint ball over the top before crashing home an unstoppable extra-time finish in the helter-skelter last-32 victory over Cape Verde. It was a real shame that his final was curtailed by injury.

If the jury was out on Marc Cucurella before the 2026 World Cup, it certainly isn't anymore. Chelsea fans would have told you some time ago that he was among the finest left-backs on the planet, and now everyone else will probably be in agreement. The new Real Madrid signing was a rock on the left flank of Spain's defence and a massive part of De la Fuente's system on their way to claiming a second crown.

Cucurella was not dribbled past once in the five matches leading up to the final, a run that included keeping both Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Bayern Munich dynamo Michael Olise ridiculously quiet in the semi-final showdown with France. And we haven't even touched on his attacking contributions yet; the left-back got forward to support the attack at every opportunity, providing an assist against Saudi Arabia in the group phase and laying on two goals in the last-32 victory over Austria with a pair of pinpoint crosses for Mikel Oyarzabal.

What perfect timing from Rodri. Just when it mattered the most, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner rediscovered his best form to guide Spain to the trophy from the base of midfield. The Manchester City star was at his metronomic best, dictating the tempo from the No.6 role as he completed hundreds of accurate passes and disrupted countless attacks coming the other way.

He was absolutely essential to the way De la Fuente's side operated; Rodri had the highest duel success rate of any midfielder at the tournament, made the most line-breaking passes in the final third at a World Cup since Germany legend Toni Kroos (62) en route to winning it in 2014, completed more final-third passes than any other player and, remarkably, completed the most passes by a single player at a World Cup since records began in 1966. His World Cup was a true midfield masterclass and earned him the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament.

Honestly, what would have become of England without Jude Bellingham?! For the second major tournament in a row, the Real Madrid superstar was the man the Three Lions turned to to haul them over the line in the face of significant adversity, and once again he delivered in a big way. Bellingham scored 35% of England's goals in North America, with his return of seven from midfield making him the country's highest-ever goal-scorer in a single World Cup, as he repeatedly demonstrated his aptitude for driving forward or arriving in the box at the perfect moment.

The 23-year-old's tireless performance and two-goal salvo against Mexico in the Azteca in the last-16 will forever be etched into both England and World Cup folklore, while his goal against Croatia and brace in the clash with Norway were also huge, clutch moments.

Bellingham is the ultimate big-moment, big-game player, and he emphatically answered bizarre questions over his involvement in the squad and status as a starter under Thomas Tuchel. His role, now, is indisputable.

There was never really any doubt that Michael Olise would carry his mesmeric club form for Bayern Munich into the World Cup, but it took a tactical tweak from Didier Deschamps to really unlock the nonchalant Frenchman for the 2018 winners. The now-former manager swapped Olise and Dembele's starting positions after just one match, moving the former into the No.10 role and the latter out wide. Lo and behold, the endlessly talented Bayern man looked like he'd been playing there his entire life.

Olise was a real throwback to the impudent No.10s of years gone by, ambling around the pitch, always looking to create and pulling off some dazzling pieces of footwork to leave his opponents in his wake. His display against Sweden in the last 32 was a World Cup performance for the ages as he absolutely ran the show, providing two outrageous second-half assists for Bradley Barcola and Mbappe - cruising forward and nutmegging a defender to tee up the former and dissecting the Swedish backline to put it on a plate for the latter.

That ensured he finished the tournament with the most assists (seven), which is also a new record for a single World Cup.

What is there left to say about Lionel Messi?! Having thrown his own participation in the tournament into question in the weeks and months leading up to the World Cup, the Argentina icon somehow defied all expectation once again by not only playing, but utterly dominating at the age of 39. Given free reign as a roaming attacker, he rolled back to the years to wreak absolute havoc.

In the eyes of many, Messi rubberstamped his status as the greatest of all time as he often hauled the uninspired holders over the line on a battling run to the final. He notched six goals in the group stage, including a sublime hat-trick in the Albiceleste's opener against Algeria, and six more goal involvements in the knockout rounds, coming up clutch yet again with two vital assists in the semi-final against England to send Lionel Scaloni's side to the showpiece. Quite simply the best to ever do it - it's just a shame he didn't deliver in the final.

Was there every any doubt that Haaland would take the World Cup by storm?! At his first-ever major tournament, the Man City goal-machine was absolutely imperious, dispelling any lingering questions over whether he would be able to translate his exploits in the Premier League to world football's biggest stage for dark horses Norway and, crucially, doing it with a smile on his face.

Haaland was a huge part of the reason the Scandinavians lived up to their pre-tournament billing, netting two goals in each of his country's opening two games, scoring a late winner in the last-32 triumph over Ivory Coast and inevitably playing the protagonist in what was THE upset of this World Cup as his second-half brace downed Brazil in the round of 16 - the greatest result in Norway's footballing history.

Let's hope they don't have to wait another 28 years to qualify again as it would be a crying shame to deprive this stage of Haaland's incredible talent.

The King of the World Cup. France's quest for glory might have ended in a feeble semi-final exit at the hands of Spain, one for which their captain and talisman will shoulder his fair share of the blame and criticism, but Mbappe did complete his individual mission to become the greatest goal-scorer in the history of the tournament in North America, and at the age of 27, with Messi now set to step aside, he is all-but certain to consolidate that status in the years to come.

As usual on world football's biggest stage, Mbappe was magnificent. Delivering in a big way in every game except the ill-fated clash with La Roja - a run that included a braces against Senegal, Iraq and Sweden, a pair of assists against Norway, strikes against Paraguay and Morocco in the knockout rounds and another two goals to become the outright top scorer and claim the Golden Boot for 2026 in the bronze final defeat to England.

Some might consider that a hollow way to achieve those feats, but with at least two more World Cups ahead of him, Mbappe was always certain to surpass Messi at some point.