Top 10 World Cup Stars Ready to Shine in Premier League 2026-27
The World Cup is over, the parade floats are packed away, and the medals are back in their velvet boxes. Now the real grind returns. After a summer where Premier League stars lit up the 2026 World Cup, the question is simple: who brings that form home and bends the 2026-27 season to their will?
Here are 10 World Cup standouts ready to ignite England’s top flight.
10. Pedro Porro – Spain’s champion, Spurs’ weapon
Pedro Porro didn’t just win the World Cup with Spain; he owned that right flank. Relentless, aggressive, always on the front foot, he finally looked like the full back he has always threatened to be.
At Tottenham, the fit now looks ideal. Roberto De Zerbi wants his full backs to attack, to overlap, to take risks. Porro lives for that. Goals, assists, chaos down the right – he has the manager and the system that suit his instincts. This could be the season he stops being “promising” and starts being unavoidable.
9. Elliot Anderson – England’s engine, City’s new conductor
Elliot Anderson earned his big move. From Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, via a World Cup where he helped drag England to a third-place finish, he has turned potential into presence.
He wins the ball back with a snap, reads danger early, and stitches attacks together with calm authority. Enzo Maresca wants control and intensity in midfield; Anderson offers both. Call him a destroyer, call him a playmaker – the truth is he’s the heartbeat of almost any team he plays in. Now he gets to run the show at the Etihad.
8. Martin Ødegaard – Norway’s magician with a point to prove
Last season at Arsenal hurt Martin Ødegaard. Injuries, dips in form, a rhythm he never quite found. Then came the World Cup, and with Norway’s improbable run, his game caught fire again.
He dictated play, threaded passes, and looked like the creative leader Arsenal thought they had locked in long-term. But there’s a twist now: Bruno Guimarães has arrived. That means competition. Ødegaard returns to north London energized but under pressure, forced to scrap for his place. For a player of his technical level, that edge might be exactly what he needs.
7. Florian Wirtz – Germany’s bright spark, Liverpool’s live wire
Germany went home early. Florian Wirtz should not be forgotten with them.
He shone in flashes at the World Cup, then doubled down with sharp, inventive displays for Liverpool in preseason. In his second Premier League campaign, he looks ready to step out of the “talent” bracket and into the “problem for defenders” category.
Andoni Iraola plans to use him as a No. 10, high up the pitch, right in the chaos zone. In a pressing side that wants turnovers and quick transitions, Wirtz will see more of the ball in the final third, where his vision and timing can turn half-chances into goals.
6. Youri Tielemans – Belgium’s driving force, United’s new core
Youri Tielemans powered Belgium into the last eight, dictating tempo and delivering big moments when they needed them. Then came the move he has long chased: Aston Villa to Manchester United.
United need grown-up midfielders, players who understand when to graft and when to gamble. Tielemans does the ugly work – tracking runners, closing passing lanes – and then arrives late in the box to score important goals. Old Trafford can be unforgiving, but his mentality and skill set feel built for the scrutiny. This is a stage that matches his ambition.
5. Bukayo Saka – England’s nearly man, Arsenal’s main man
Bukayo Saka’s World Cup was threaded with frustration. Managed through injury, he never quite hit full throttle, and missing England’s semifinal defeat to Argentina stung.
Yet the moments he did have were electric. An assist against Mexico, a hat trick in the third-place play-off against France, lively cameos off the bench – all reminders of his ceiling. Back at Arsenal, there’s no ambiguity. He is the focal point of their attack, the outlet, the difference-maker. If his body holds up, the numbers will follow.
4. Lisandro Martínez – Argentina’s enforcer, United’s leader
Manchester United learned the hard way how much Lisandro Martínez matters. When he’s missing, their back line loses bite and belief.
At the World Cup, he was central to Argentina’s charge to the final, snapping into tackles, organizing the line, playing with that familiar edge. His withdrawal in the final with a minor injury felt like a turning point in the contest. United’s “comeback” as a serious force hinges on a stable defense, and Martínez is the one who sets the tone. No-nonsense, aggressive, vocal – he’ll marshal that back four again.
3. Bruno Guimarães – Brazil’s creator, Arsenal’s statement
Four assists for Brazil at the World Cup. Only Michael Olise had more at the tournament. That alone tells you how influential Bruno Guimarães was.
Arsenal moved decisively, prising him from Newcastle United in a deal worth $101 million. That figure is not subtle; it screams intent. Guimarães brings leadership, hunger, and a refusal to drift through games. He will snap into challenges, demand the ball, and punch passes through lines. For a side already stacked with technical quality, his edge and personality could be the extra gear they’ve been chasing.
2. Declan Rice – The standard-setter for club and country
Strip Arsenal or England of Declan Rice, and you feel it immediately. The press softens. The tempo drops. The structure loosens.
He battled through illness and injury at the World Cup yet still delivered a strong tournament, anchoring midfield, covering ground, and setting the tone without fuss. Arsenal lean heavily on him to define their intensity and rhythm. If they want back-to-back titles, his form and fitness are non-negotiable. Rice doesn’t just plug gaps; he shapes the way his teams play.
1. Erling Haaland – The inevitable force
Of course it’s him.
Erling Haaland scored seven goals at the World Cup, turning an already massive profile into something even more global as Norway surged to the quarterfinals. Every run, every finish, every celebration felt like an event.
Now he returns to Manchester City under Enzo Maresca, whose approach should flood him with chances on the counter. Space to run into. Crosses to attack. Cutbacks to bury. Another 30-goal league season looms, and with it the now-familiar circus of clips, memes, and social media mayhem that follows his every move.
The World Cup was his latest stage. The Premier League remains his playground.
