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The eyes of the world will be on North Texas and North America when the World Cup begins. Although Dallas is a city with a rich history of warmly welcoming international sports stars such as Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Doncic, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and Mikko Rantanen, a whole other realm of international stardom will be winning untold eyeballs in the Dallas area come World Cup time.
Let’s just get this out of the way now: Argentine Lionel Messi, by many estimates the greatest soccer player of all time, is always the biggest star in any tournament he chooses to play in. That is, unless his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is in the same tournament. Millions of words have been written about the duo’s ability to change a match in a flash or to dominate single-footedly. Although both stars are nearing their twilight, neither has yet burned out. Just weeks before the tournament begins, both icons are expected to play for their national teams in the 2026 World Cup.
With or without those two legends, the World Cup will be a star-studded affair with names known in households from every corner of the globe lacing up their boots and hitting the pitches of North America in June and July. Here are the top five names you should know.
Kylian Mbappe
The talented forward is now 27, but the star of the French team cemented his status as an all-time World Cup legend at 23. His three goals in the 2022 World Cup final were nearly enough to give France its second consecutive world title, following up on the triumphant 2018 tournament, where a 19-year-old Mbappe proved to the world he was already a star. Since 2022, Mbappe has remained one of the most dangerous scorers on the planet with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. France is again among the top three favorites to win it all in 2026, and naturally, Mbappe is the betting favorite to win the World Cup’s golden boot award, given to the player with the most goals.
Harry Kane
Messi and Argentina aren’t the only global soccer powers who are guaranteed to play in Arlington during the group stage. England, the country that birthed modern soccer, and its all-star team, will play against Croatia on June 17. That means that striker Harry Kane, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, currently of German titans Bayern Munich, will be kicking around Big D. Over the past two World Cups, Kane has scored eight goals on his way to becoming England’s all-time leading national team goal scorer. Of course, Kane has a lot of help from his fellow countrymen. All-world talents, including midfielders Jude Bellingham, who many might’ve put on this list above Kane, and Cole Palmer, will also have their fair share of attention when the Brits come to town.
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Erling Haaland
The casual soccer fan in North Texas who watches only the occasional FC Dallas match or World Cup contest might not know Norway’s Erling Haaland by name (which is a shame), but they almost certainly know him still. His long blond hair and force on the pitch near the net make him seem like a badass soccer viking. He’s been on video game covers and a million social media highlight reels since becoming the scoring punch for Manchester City, one of the most dominant teams in European club soccer of the past decade-plus. The oft-described “goal machine” seems to have been created in a lab and is reason enough not to dismiss Norway when it plays France on June 26.
Vinicius Junior
It wasn’t all that long ago that any conversation about the biggest star on Brazil’s team began and ended with Neymar. But long-term injuries and a forgettable stretch in Saudi Arabia left the door wide open for a new talent to take his place. That brings us to Vinicius Junior. The 25-year-old forward has already rocketed up Brazil’s all-time leading scoring list and was the runner-up for the prestigious 2024 Ballon d’Or award, given to the best player in the world across all leagues. It’s pretty crazy to know that he’s on the same Real Madrid club roster with Mbappe. Brazil was knocked out in the quarterfinals in 2022, but with an older, wiser Junior leading the charge, don’t expect another early exit.
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Christian Pulisic
We could’ve given this spot to so many other talented, magnetic footballers. Egypt’s Mohammed Salah, Spain’s Yasmine Lamal or Rodri could be or should be noted here, but because we’re in the U.S. and the World Cup is in the U.S. we’re going to make sure you know about one of the greatest American soccer players of all-time, who happens to only be 27. Pulisic, a Pennsylvania native, hasn’t had the World Cup career of Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey, but that could change in 2026. He’s already had the best European club career of any American-born player, as his years with Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and AC Milan have shown the world that Americans can star on the biggest stage in soccer.
