The 2026 World Cup is over. 308 goals, 104 games, and a Spain triumph later, the planet's best footballers pack their bags and head back to clubs waiting — some patiently, some desperately — for their return. Here's what's next for ten of the tournament's standout names.
The headliners
Kylian Mbappe (27, Real Madrid) did something that hadn't been done since Gerd Muller in 1970 — scored 10 goals at a single World Cup. France went out in the semis, but Mbappe is now the competition's all-time leading scorer and the most complete forward on the planet. He returns to a Madrid side that won nothing last season, now under Jose Mourinho. That's a combustible combination with serious upside — and serious risk. At 42 goals in 44 appearances last season even in a poor year for the club, his numbers are absurd. Real Madrid's odds of ending their trophy drought rest almost entirely on whether Mourinho can channel rather than curb him.
Lionel Messi (39, Inter Miami) reached a second consecutive World Cup final, scored eight goals, and still couldn't drag Argentina past Spain. He returns to MLS on Wednesday when Miami host Chicago Fire, with his side sitting second in the Eastern Conference. Miami won the MLS Cup in 2025. Chasing a second straight title at 39 years old — that's where his club story ends, most likely.
Erling Haaland (25, Manchester City) fired Norway to their first World Cup since 1998 — 16 goals in qualifying, seven more at the tournament itself, joint-third in the Golden Boot race. He comes back to a City squad now under Enzo Maresca rather than Pep Guardiola. Different system, different demands. Haaland has 162 club goals in four seasons. Whether he and Maresca click quickly matters enormously for City's title chances — and their odds will reflect that uncertainty early in the season.
Lamine Yamal (19, Barcelona) won the World Cup. One goal, one assist — understated by his own lofty standards — but Spain's best player across the tournament's final stages. He's already collected three La Liga titles and Euro 2024. The only box left to tick is the Champions League, and that's Barcelona's stated obsession for 2026-27. Yamal is 19. The absurdity of that sentence still hasn't fully landed.
The supporting cast that stole scenes
Michael Olise (24, Bayern Munich) set a World Cup record with seven assists in a single tournament, surpassing Pelé's mark from 1970. He did that at 24, in his first World Cup. Bayern won the Bundesliga last season with Olise, Harry Kane, and Luis Diaz forming the most productive attack in European football — but the Champions League eluded them. That's the target now, and Olise's creative output is central to whether they get there.
Harry Kane (32, Bayern Munich) scored six goals as England finished third — their best World Cup result since they won the thing in 1966. He won the European Golden Shoe last season. Under Vincent Kompany, Bayern have a clear plan and the personnel to challenge for Europe's biggest prize. Kane being fit and firing is basically a prerequisite for that happening.
Ousmane Dembele (29, Paris Saint-Germain) scored six goals at the World Cup playing second fiddle to Mbappe. Six goals in a single tournament would have won the Golden Boot in six of the last eight editions. PSG retained the Champions League last season — only the second club this century to do so. A third consecutive European title would put them in genuinely historic territory, and Dembele, last year's Ballon d'Or winner, is the creative engine behind it.
Jude Bellingham (23, Real Madrid) had his best England tournament — seven goals, a run to the semis, an outstanding individual goal in the third-place play-off. He returns to Madrid alongside Mbappe, now with Mourinho calling the shots. Three seasons in, Bellingham hasn't won a trophy at the Bernabeu. That changes this year or the narrative around him starts to shift.
Folarin Balogun (25, Monaco) scored three goals for the USA, outperformed Pulisic, and had a presidential intervention secured on his behalf when he was sent off against Bosnia. You don't get more profile than that. He returns to Monaco, who finished seventh in Ligue 1 and face Conference League football next season. That gap between his World Cup moment and his Thursday night European reality is exactly why clubs will come calling. Whether he stays is the question.
Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al Nassr) appeared at his sixth World Cup — a joint record — and became the first player ever to score at six different editions. Portugal lost in the round of 16 to Spain. Al Nassr won the Saudi league last season, his first major title since leaving Europe. He is, by any measure, in the final chapter. But he keeps writing more pages.
