The 2026 World Cup is over. Spain defeated Argentina in the final, with England having finished third overall. Now that the dust has settled, let’s take a look back at the action that unfolded.
Today, we’ll be examining the five best midfielders at the tournament. We won’t be looking at any past achievements – only their performances at the World Cup will be taken into consideration.
For clarification, we’ll only be examining central midfielders, defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders in this list. Wide midfielders and wingers won’t be considered; they will have their own top five.
As well as this, just to keep things interesting, we’re going to limit inclusions to one player per nation. With that out of the way, here are a few honourable mentions.
Alexis Mac Allister was part of a deeply unpopular Argentina team, but his energy and ability to transition play quickly was crucial towards their counter-attacking efforts.
Enzo Fernandez is in a similar boat. La Albiceleste were the World Cup’s pantomime villains, so one might be reluctant to give him his flowers. Nevertheless, he had a brilliant tournament, despite being sent off in the final.
We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention the excellent Ayyoub Bouaddi, who ran Morocco’s tight midfield despite being just 18 years of age. A phenomenal talent with a limitless future in the game.
Previously, we also took a look at the five best goalkeepers at the World Cup and the five best defenders. With that out of the way, let’s begin.
5. Michael Olise
Ranking Michael Olise in this list was difficult, as he spent a good portion of the competition playing as a winger. Nevertheless, he spent the majority of the campaign as an attacking midfielder, so he is eligible.
Whilst playing as a number ten, Olise notched up four assists in five appearances. Overall, he registered eight assists at the World Cup, but four of them came while he was playing on the right wing. In this case, they don’t count.
Regardless, four assists in five games isn’t bad – in fact, it’s pretty great. Olise is just 24 years of age, meaning the best is likely yet to come from this young man.
4. Martin Odegaard
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard did his country proud at the World Cup, leading Norway to their best-ever finish in the competition by a country mile.
Working tirelessly and being the driving force behind their lethal counter-attacks, Odegaard didn’t score at the World Cup, but made up for it by racking up four assists in total.
Norway also had a very tough schedule to make it as far as they did. Defeating Brazil and pushing England to their limit, Odegaard was a sensation at the tournament this year.
3. Johan Manzambi
Newly-signed Aston Villa star Johan Manzambi really put himself in the shop window during the World Cup for Switzerland. The Swiss have been overachieving underdogs for a while now – Manzambi allowed them to uphold tradition.
Scoring three goals and notching up two assists over the course of four appearances for Switzerland, he was a key component in their run to the quarter-finals.
They would eventually become undone against finalists Argentina, but they put up a serious fight against La Albiceleste, with the 20-year-old putting his name on the map throughout.
2. Jude Bellingham
We all knew Jude Bellingham would make it onto this list. If anything, the biggest surprise is that England’s talisman didn’t take the number one spot.
One player did enough to pip Bellingham to the post, but it was a closely-run contest for sure. Seven goals in eight games is a serious achievement – the Real Madrid man has the potential to become the greatest English footballer of all time.
At just 23 years of age, the best is yet to come from Bellingham. A sensational talent with peerless movement off the ball, it has been some time since the Three Lions have boasted a talent as exciting as him.
1. Rodri
Rodri simply had to take the top spot. After a couple of years of decline following his treble-winning season with Manchester City in 2023, he is now back to his brilliant best.
A wonderful defensive midfielder with a spectacular range of passing, there is no playmaker in world football who can hold a candle to Spain’s captain at the moment.
Richly deserving of the player of the tournament award, Rodri pulled the strings and turned the cogs behind Spain’s second-ever World Cup win.