The 2026 World Cup is around the corner, but in the Premier League, there is still plenty of unfinished business.
The title race, the top four scramble, the relegation dogfight, all playing out simultaneously, and the players who survive it will board planes to North America in various states of exhaustion, relief, and motivation.
Arsenal lead the way with 70 points, three ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand after their 2-1 win over the Gunners last weekend. This one is far from settled.
Below the top two, the race for Champions League football involves Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Chelsea, with the online sportsbook odds shifting almost every week as the gap between third and sixth continues to narrow.
Then there’s the bottom of the table, where Tottenham find themselves in the most alarming position a club of their size has occupied in decades, sitting in the relegation zone and on their longest winless run since the 1930s, with West Ham and Nottingham Forest also sweating out the final weeks of the season.
Whatever the finishing positions, the summer World Cup arrives on schedule. The tournament is also likely the last for both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while a new generation steps into the spotlight, including Lamine Yamal, who lit up Euro 2024 for Spain.
But which Premier League players are making their World Cup debuts? Here are the names worth watching.
Erling Haaland, Norway (Manchester City)
It almost defies belief that Erling Haaland is heading into his first World Cup. For a player who has spent the better part of seven years terrorizing defenses across Austria, Germany, and now England, breaking records at every stop, the absence of a major international tournament has always been the one obvious gap on his résumé. Norway’s qualification finally closes it.
Haaland arrives with more than 100 Premier League goals for Manchester City and counting, a return that has redefined what we expect from a modern striker.
The real question is whether he can carry that dominance onto a bigger stage with a less decorated supporting cast. Norway are not among the title favorites, but they are no longer a one-man team either.
Martin Odegaard pulls the strings in midfield, and the squad around Haaland is more balanced than it has been at any point in his career. As his record shows, he rarely needs many chances.
If Norway make a run past African champions Senegal and last tournament’s finalists France, it will almost certainly be on the back of their No. 9 turning half-chances into headlines.
Florian Wirtz, Germany (Liverpool)
Florian Wirtz’s debut Premier League season has been, by his own high standards, a slow burn. Signed for a club-record fee, the German playmaker has flashed his ability without yet finding the consistency that made him one of Europe’s most coveted midfielders. Internationally, however, the picture is different.
After missing the Qatar World Cup through injury, Wirtz arrives at 2026 with something to prove. His recent performances in the German national team setup have been a reminder of what he offers when given freedom.
If Julian Nagelsmann can get him and Jamal Musiala on the same wavelength, Germany have a good chance of their best tournament run since being crowned champions in 2014.
In a World Cup hosted across North America, with its wide pitches and open spaces, that profile could translate into something special.
Igor Thiago, Brazil (Brentford)
Few would have predicted that Brazil’s leading striker heading into a World Cup would be playing his club football for Brentford. But Thiago’s rise has been built on persistence.
After an injury-hit start following his move as Ivan Toney’s replacement in 2024, he has flourished under Keith Andrews.
Now sitting on 21 Premier League goals and counting, the forward has combined physical presence with improved movement and composure in front of goal.
Thiago isn’t the flamboyant archetype of past Brazilian forwards, but he’s a love letter to an old-school British number nine. Meat and potatoes with some South American seasoning. Brazil will need both sides of him when the tournament begins.
Wilson Isidor, Haiti (Sunderland)
Wilson Isidor’s path to the World Cup has taken a less conventional route, but it’s no less compelling for it.
The Sunderland forward made headlines by switching his international allegiance from France to Haiti, a decision that has already begun to pay off.
After helping Sunderland secure promotion back to the Premier League and then beat the drop in his sophomore year, Isidor has carried that upward momentum onto the international stage.
Haiti face a demanding group, but they will not lack for belief, particularly heading into their opener against Scotland. That fixture alone offers a fascinating subplot, with Isidor likely to face established Premier League names including John McGinn and Andy Robertson.
Haiti are not expected to progress deep into the competition, but individual performances in this tournament have a way of shifting perceptions quickly.
Final Thoughts
The World Cup has always been a shop window as much as a sporting event, and 2026 will be no different.
Players can go from being relatively unknown to securing big moves with just a handful of good performances.
For managers and directors of football, the next few weeks in North America will be as important as any scouting trip they make all year.
For Haaland, Wirtz, Thiago, and Isidor, the Premier League season has been the warm-up act. The main event starts in June.
