Eight hidden gems who could make their names at the 2026 World Cup - including rising stars from Canada, Ecuador and Turkey.
Every time the World Cup rolls around, a few relatively little-known players end up becoming stars. Some go on to great things and earn moves to elite clubs, others become cult heroes remembered only for a few glittering summer months of their careers.
Joel Ordóñez, Ayase Ueda & Baris Alper Yilmazplaceholder image
Joel Ordóñez, Ayase Ueda & Baris Alper Yilmaz | Getty Images
With this list, we’ve picked out eight players who are barely household names in their own homes that we think could become the next Just Fontaine, El-Hadji Diouf or Ilhan Mansiz. Some are already destined for big things but haven’t earned the name recognition just yet. Others are appreciated well enough in lesser leagues but won’t be familiar to an audience that largely watches the Premier League. All are very good players who could well be breakout stars - or at least cult heroes - of the 2026 World Cup.
None, by the way, are under the age of 21 – but if you want a breakdown of 10 of the most exciting and unheralded wonderkids who will be strutting their stuff this summer, you can find that list by clicking here.
Promise David – Canada
The 24-year-old striker rose to a degree of prominence last season after he was plucked from the obscurity of the Estonian league by Union Saint-Gilloise, the coming force of Belgian football, and promptly scored 22 goals in 38 games in his first year at the club, earning rave reviews and a relatively regular spot in the gossip columns as teams like West Ham were linked with a bid.
In the end, he stayed in the Pro League, where his second season with Union SG was blighted by a hip injury which threatened to rule him out of the World Cup – but David, who switched international allegiance from Nigeria to the country of his birth, came back from a four-month lay-off to make the Canada squad, and will hope that his immense physicality and traditional target man instincts will combine with his namesake Jonathan to create a front two which could shock a few sides this summer.
Baris Alper Yilmaz – Turkey
Fans who spend too much time with their nose in the gossip columns will know Yilmaz’s name. The industrious winger has spent the last few years being linked with just about every top-flight team in Europe but remains at Galatasaray, where he’s established himself as one of the most consistently dangerous forwards in the Super Lig.
Likely to start on the right wing as part of a promising attacking midfield trio alongside Real Madrid’s Arda Güler and Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz, the Turk is both tireless and exceptionally productive in the final third – he’s passed double figures in goalscoring terms in each of the last two seasons and added 12 assists over the past season. Like Canada, Turkey have an attack which could help them spring a few surprises. Just don’t call them dark horses this time.
Guéla Doué – Ivory Coast
Doué’s career has been ever so slightly overshadowed by that of his younger brother, PSG wonderkid Desiré, but the elder Doué has plenty to offer too – a ferocious attacking right wing-back, the RC Strasbourg man is a well-rounded player with a combination of physical and technical traits which could help him finally make his own name at the World Cup.
The 23-year-old can dribble, pick a pass, has a superb delivery – he provided six assists in Ligue 1 this season – and will put himself about at the back, with a remarkably high volume of turnovers, tackles and clearances to his name over the past year. A few rumours have already linked with a Premier League move, and a strong summer for the Ivorian could see him seal a big-money move that will help him to become more than just the second most well-known member of his family.
Azzedine Ounahi – Morocco
"My God, where does this guy come from?” was the question asked by Spain manager Luis Enrique after his side were beaten on penalties by Morocco at the 2022 World Cup. The source of his astonishment was Ounahi, who was absolutely superb in Qatar four years ago and yet still seems to be rather undervalued despite being repeatedly exceptional for his country.
Ounahi, now 26 and playing in Spain with Girona after stints with Marseille and Panathinaikos, is a versatile midfielder who was also quite brilliant in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations before a torn calf muscle ended his tournament shortly before Morocco ‘won’ in the final against Senegal. Perhaps the fact that he still isn’t a big name after playing brilliantly in two hugely successful tournaments suggests that he never will be – or perhaps another impressive outing in North America will finally earn him the recognition he deserves. He’s certainly key to Morocco’s hopes of another deep run.
Joel Ordóñez – Ecuador
Quite a few Premier League sides have supposedly been keeping a close eye on the 22-year-old Ordóñez – Chelsea and Liverpool perhaps chief among them – and the powerful centre-back has already been hugely impressive in Belgium with Club Brugge. A big move is on the cards soon, but a strong World Cup with Ecuador could add a few numbers to his price tag.
A classical ‘rock at the back’ defender who’s dominant in the air and too strong to be outmuscled on the ground, Ordóñez seldom makes mistakes but often makes his presence felt. He won’t be easy to miss in Ecuador’s games, and a run of form could help him to cement his status as a rising star in the European game.
Ayase Ueda – Japan
England fans will already know a bit about Ueda, who played the number nine role when Japan won at Wembley back in March, but he’s otherwise relatively little known outside of the Netherlands, where he has been rattling goals in at a rate of knots for PSV.
The 27-year-old hit a career-best 26 goals this season, including a hat-trick against Hercales Almelo and four against PEC Zwolle, and has been pretty prolific for his national side too with 16 goals in 39 caps. Often playing a hold-up role around which a fluid Japanese attack can pivot, Ueda is the glue which holds his side together in the final third, and if he can carry his club form into the summer he could end up being one of the stars of the tournament.
Mohanad Ali – Iraq
25-year-old striker Ali – nicknamed Mimi in his home country - has had a strange career. Named the West Asian Footballer of the Year as a teenager and promptly courted by Juventus, Manchester City and dozens of others only for Iraqi side Al-Shorta to turn their offers down, he’s now played for nine different teams, mostly in Asia but with very brief stints in Portugal and Greece thrown in during a difficult period in which his progress was derailed by two cruciate ligament injuries.
He’s currently trying to make a dent in the UAE Pro League after scoring for fun for back in Iraq between 2023 and 2025. His overall scoring record is strong and he has 27 goals in 70 games for his nation, but it’s hard to be sure just how well Ali will stack up against top teams thanks to his peripatetic and injury-stricken career path. We’ll finally find out this summer – Ali is quick, confident, and has the knack of scoring spectacular goals, all part of the recipe for cult hero status if Iraq can upset a team or two.
Daniel Svensson – Sweden
Can a regular starter for Borussia Dortmund and Sweden really be considered a breakout candidate? Debatable, perhaps, but the 22-year-old wing-back doesn’t seem to have too much name recognition yet outside of the Bundesliga and his homeland – something that could change quickly if Graham Potter’s side enjoys a good run this summer.
Fast, technically impressive and able to get up and down the left flank quickly enough to impact all three phases of play, Svensson seldom loses the ball, is solid in the tackle and has a lethal cross in him. A dynamic player who’s coming into his own after earning a big move to Germany from Danish side Nordsjælland last year.
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