From Bellingham to Saka, Vinicius Jr to Saliba & the 2022 World Cup debutants XI

The Porto goalkeeper has made the Portugal number one spot his own since gaining his first senior international cap in October 2021.

Rui Patricio was between the sticks for the three World Cup qualifiers that followed Costa’s debut, but when the playoffs came around in March 2022, the youngster took over and helped secure the team’s passage into the finals.

Costa, who represented his country at many youth levels before breaking into the first team, was named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year in 2021-22 as Porto won the title.

Dest will be 22 when the World Cup begins but he has already played in the Eredivisie, La Liga, Serie A, and Champions League.

Having been born in the Netherlands, Dest committed to play for the USMNT when he was 18 years old, and the AC Milan loanee has gone on to play 19 games for the Stars and Stripes.

An attacking full-back that is not afraid to take players on, Dest is set to be one of the most exciting young defenders taking part in the World Cup.

Saliba’s loan spells at Saint-Étienne, Nice, and Marseille since joining Arsenal as a teenager look to have been a stroke of genius from the north Londoners.

The 21-year-old has slotted straight into the Gunners defence this season and looks as comfortable, assured, and physically dominant as you could hope for.

France have an embarrassment of riches at the centre-back position, but surely Didier Deschamps will have to include Saliba in his starting XI based on current form.

Runners-up in 2018, Croatia’s best ever squad is now an ageing one but they will be hoping that talented newcomers like Gvardiol can steer them towards the latter stages again.

The RB Leipzig man played at left-back throughout Euro 2020, but has since operated at the centre of defence - just like he usually does for his club.

Online betting sites have priced Croatia at 20/1 to reach the World Cup final for the second time on the bounce.

Davies is Canada’s poster boy and has been widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world since Bayern Munich’s Champions League triumph in 2019-20.

His list of team and individual honours is absurd given his age, and equally impressive is his return of 12 goals in 34 appearances for Canada.

It’s a big ask for the Canadians to make it out of the group stage, and Davies will have to be at his very best in order for them to stand a chance.

N’Golo Kante’s hamstring injury means that Tchouameni is likely to become an even more important figure in the middle of the park for France this winter.

The ex-Monaco midfielder has been playing regularly for Real Madrid since his move to the Spanish capital and has settled in well, earning more minutes for Los Blancos this term than the similarly promising Frenchman, Eduardo Camavinga.

France are aiming to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups.

Bellingham is the latest young Borussia Dortmund superstar to become highly sought-after across Europe, and a top World Cup performance will certainly drive up the Bundesliga club’s asking price.

The Birmingham City academy graduate made three substitute appearances at Euro 2020, but will have a much bigger part to play in Qatar.

In Bellingham and West Ham’s Declan Rice, England have a midfield pairing that could see them through the next decade.

Barcelona’s Pedri was a prominent figure for Spain throughout Euro 2020 and he also turned out for them at the Olympics shortly thereafter.

He is capable of playing in a number of positions but thrives when given a free role in which he can move across to either flank or create from central areas.

Comparisons to Xavi and Andres Iniesta may be premature, but Pedri is undoubtedly cut from the same cloth as his decorated predecessors.

Saka was one of three England players to miss in the Euro 2020 final penalty shootout against Italy, but he has been superb for club and country since then and is seeking redemption for the Three Lions.

He was named Player of the Year for both England and Arsenal for 2021-22, and his contributions have been instrumental in the Gunners’ hot start to the 2022-23 campaign.

Several quality forward players will be competing for a spot in Gareth Southgate’s team, but Saka will be difficult to displace from the right wing.

Last season was a real breakout year for Vini Jr, as he registered 22 goals and 16 assists in all competitions for Real Madrid.

Adept at both creating and converting chances, the Brazilian has given manager Tite no choice but to start him in Qatar.

Vini Jr is a dark horse for the Golden Boot but Neymar is the most likely Brazil striker to bag the most goals.

It has been a mixed start to Nunez’s Liverpool career since his big money move from Benfica, but the Uruguayan appears to be finding his feet at Anfield.

On the same night in which he scored his first home league goal for the Reds with a clever header, Nunez also broke the Premier League speed record, highlighting just how much of a threat he can pose to opposition defences.

With veterans Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani still in the mix, Uruguay have plenty of attacking prowess at their disposal.