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Goal-scoring will never go out of fashion, and they’ve always said that “defense wins championships,” but soccer continues to revolve around the engine room.
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The middle of the pitch is the battleground that so often decides outcomes of matches. It’s where the fight for control is at its fiercest, and where teams can hurt their opponents the most.
Soccer has drifted into an era of pace and power, but the supreme technical craft that defined Spain’s dominant cycle between 2008 and 2012 hasn’t dissipated in significance.
The elite boast supreme athleticism and an appreciation of subtlety, with dogged box-to-box operators emerging as some of the most valuable players in the world. However, there’s still scope for controllers and playmakers to thrive, too. The sport hasn’t completely been sapped of its romance yet.
Here are Sports Illustrated’s 10 best midfielders who’ll be at the 2026 World Cup.
10. Rayan Cherki (France)
France’s attacking might is no joke, with Didier Deschamps aiming to lift Les Bleus out of the dreary purgatory his team found themselves in at Euro 2024.
There are new leases of life in this French roster, with Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise a World Cup Golden Ball and thus Ballon d’Or contender. Rayan Cherki isn’t slated to start for France, but he‘s the wildcard creative option who’ll undoubtedly work his way towards the forefront of Deschamps’s thinking.
Cherki quickly won over Pep Guardiola, enjoying some majestic bursts of form during his first season with Manchester City.
Some are suggesting this tournament will be more systemized and set-piece heavy than ever before, but Cherki is set to operate as the antithesis to those projections.
9. Bruno Guimarães (Brazil)
Bruno Guimarães missed a chunk of the domestic season through injury, and Newcastle United certainly felt his absence.
The Brazilian had long been tipped for stardom before rocking up on Tyneside, having shone briefly at Lyon, and now he’s developed into one of the world’s most unique, but ultimately best, midfielders.
Guimarães is so crafty in how he escapes pressure and progresses the ball, combining sound fundamentals with the essence of ‘jogo bonito’ that renders many Brazilian soccer stars so endearing.
He’s an infectious personality on and off the field, and is another midfielder capable of willing his team to new heights all by himself. Many have written Brazil off pre-tournament, given their relative lack of star power and full-back woes, but Guimarães will not let his country down this summer.
In a Carlo Ancelotti-led team that’s bound to be ruthless on the counter-attack, Guimarães will thrive.
8. João Neves (Portugal)
Paris Saint-Germain concluded the 2025–26 season as back-to-back European champions, becoming just the second team since 1992 to retain the Champions League trophy.
Luis Enrique‘s team is a collective juggernaut made up of masterful individuals, and one man who doesn’t garner enough credit is João Neves.
Portugal’s scrappy midfielder was superb against Arsenal in Budapest. While slight in stature, Neves is a nightmare to play against. Laden with industry and heart, he’s a force out of possession, and the 21-year-old is also silky smooth once the ball arrives at his feet.
He’s the facilitator of excellence around him as a result of the work he gets through, and a mightily talented Portuguese roster is set to benefit from Neves’s bustling presence this summer.
7. Aurélien Tchouaméni (France)
Real Madrid were a mess last season, giving up on Xabi Alonso before stuttering to the finish line with Álvaro Arbeloa at the helm. Now, it’s time for a second go around with José Mourinho.
Aurélien Tchouaméni cannot be blamed for Madrid’s disappointing campaign. The Frenchman was a stabilizing force in a porous midfield, finally taking the mantle left to him by Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić.
Tchouaméni isn’t there yet in terms of prestige or stature, but impressive strides were taken in trying circumstances last season.
For France at this World Cup. Deschamps will task him with offering the requisite balance in the middle of the park. Given the wealth of superstars performing ahead of him, it’s a sizeable job, and their hopes this summer may well rest on how well Tchouaméni performs alongside Adrien Rabiot or a twilighting N’Golo Kanté.
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6. Federico Valverde (Uruguay)
The Uruguayan infamously came to blows with Tchouaméni at Real Madrid training towards the end of a tumultuous campaign, and there are suggestions that only one can remain with the club moving forward.
If that proves to be the case, Mourinho has an impossible decision on his hands. While Tchouaméni is a rare breed of holding midfielder, Valverde is a manager‘s dream.
Everything that’s asked of him is performed to an elite standard, with an array of Madrid managers exploiting Valverde’s remarkable versatility.
For Uruguay, the do-it-all 27-year-old, who’s surely blessed with a third lung, will function as the team’s fulcrum in midfield. Marcelo Bielsa’s outfit is flawed, but Valverde has the mentality to will the South Americans to overperform.
5. Jude Bellingham (England)
It’s tough to gauge exactly where Jude Bellingham is at heading into this World Cup, given that he’s missed much of 2026 with a hamstring injury.
He certainly looked more like his usual self towards the very end of the season, scoring a superb goal in Real Madrid’s 4–2 victory over Athletic Club on the final day.
His box-crashing mastery of 2023–24 hasn’t been replicated since, with Bellingham’s output decreasing rather significantly over the past two seasons. Still, the Stourbridge-born midfielder is the epitome of a superstar who will don England’s No. 10 shirt in North America.
There are questions over the role he’ll play for Thomas Tuchel this summer
, but the German would be foolish to minimize Bellingham’s importance. This England roster only has a couple of legitimately world-class players, and the Madrid man is certainly one of them.
4. Declan Rice (England)
Declan Rice undoubtedly rocked up to England camp with a distinct swagger, despite Arsenal’s disappointment in Budapest.
He’s a Premier League champion now, and we should expect to see Rice perform with the assurance of a winner at the World Cup. The Englishman hasn’t always grasped the big moments with the national team, especially in possession, but he should benefit from having Tuchel on the sideline.
Without the ball, Rice is probably the best midfielder in the world. A supreme athlete with a massive stride, he covers ground for fun and is an imperious recovery defender as a result. England will be tough to counter-attack on while Rice is serving as the lynchpin.
Moreover, expect Rice’s excellent set-piece delivery to come to the fore for the Three Lions.
3. Vitinha (Portugal)
Vitinha is an easy player to appreciate. Like the aforementioned Neves, he’s far from the biggest, but Vitinha compensates for his physical drawbacks via ingenious intuition, craft and bravery.
He always takes responsibility in the build-up and has such a great relationship with tempo. Dr. Terence Fletcher from Whiplash would love him.
Vitinha knows when to slow things down and speed them back up again, with so many contests revolving around him. That’s the sign of a special player.
He doesn‘t merely sit at the base of midfield and knock the ball around. No, Vitinha is always looking to contribute in the final third, too, and he’s bound to produce the goods on the biggest stage for a Portugal team that has the midfield controllers who can sap the life out of its opponents.
2. Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)
O.K., Bruno Fernandes often serves in contradiction to control, given how much he surrenders possession. However, Fernandes is wasteful because he’s always trying to create.
He enters this World Cup off the back of a record-breaking Premier League campaign with Manchester United, finally usurping the single-season assist record. Sure, plenty of his 21 assists came from set-pieces, but that’s emerging as an art form in its own right nowadays.
This may be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last dance, but Portugal’s attack will function through the creative gifts of its No. 8.
Fernandes is in the form of his life.
1. Pedri (Spain)
Pedri was the glorious protagonist of Spain’s run to the Euro 2020 semifinals, but he’s since struggled to assert himself at major tournaments for the national team, often because of injury.
And while there were a few fitness concerns in 2025–26, that didn’t stop Pedri from putting together a stellar campaign in a mightily demanding role for Hansi Flick’s La Liga champions.
Pedri combines the gifts of PSG pair Vitinha and João Neves to create an utterly superb midfield operator. The Spaniard could perform as a dogged No. 6 just as effectively as he could a mischievous No. 10.
He’s as watchable as they come, and he certainly would’ve earned the plaudits Vitinha’s received over the past two years had Barcelona found a way to return to the Champions League final for the first time in a decade.
Pedri will earn his flowers at this World Cup, having felt like he missed out in Germany two summers ago.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The 10 Best Midfielders at the 2026 World Cup-Ranked.
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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 4:15 AM.