World Cup Stars Set to Shine in Premier League 2026-27
The World Cup is over. The medals have been handed out, the parades are done, and the confetti has been swept away. Now the same stars who lit up the summer are heading back to colder nights, tighter spaces and unforgiving schedules.
The 2026-27 Premier League season is about to feel the aftershocks.
Here are 10 World Cup standouts poised to rip into England’s top flight.
10. Pedro Porro (Tottenham)
Spain’s World Cup win had plenty of headline acts, but Pedro Porro quietly put together a tournament that should terrify Premier League left backs.
He was aggressive, relentless and clean in possession at right back, bombing on at every opportunity. Now he returns to Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi, a coach who will give him exactly what he craves: license to attack and a structure behind him.
Porro has finally landed in a system tailored to his strengths. Expect goals. Expect assists. Expect him to look like a winger masquerading as a full back.
9. Elliot Anderson (Manchester City)
Elliot Anderson’s summer changed everything.
He helped drive England to a third-place finish, snapping into tackles, pinching possession in dangerous areas and reading the game with a maturity that belied his age. That form earned him a major move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City.
Under Enzo Maresca, Anderson won’t just be another body in midfield. He’s the type who dictates rhythm, hunts the ball back and becomes the heartbeat of any side he plays in. City didn’t buy him to sit quietly in the background.
8. Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)
Last season with Arsenal felt like a stop-start blur for Martin Ødegaard: injuries, dips in form, a rhythm he never truly found.
The World Cup changed that. Norway’s magical run had his fingerprints all over it. He was back orchestrating, drifting into pockets, threading passes and dragging his country into territory it rarely occupies.
Now he returns to an Arsenal squad that has just added Bruno Guimarães. Ødegaard suddenly has a fight on his hands for his place, but he also has something else: energy restored and sharpness rediscovered. A fit, pushed Ødegaard is exactly what Arsenal want in the title race.
7. Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)
Germany disappeared early from the World Cup, and with them went a lot of casual attention. That shouldn’t obscure what Florian Wirtz produced.
He was bright, inventive and brave on the ball, and that confidence has spilled straight into Liverpool’s preseason. In his second Premier League campaign, he looks ready to stop being the “promising” signing and start being the problem for opponents.
Andoni Iraola plans to use him as the No. 10, right at the heart of Liverpool’s high-pressing chaos. That means more touches in the final third, more chances to slip runners in, and more opportunities to arrive late and finish himself. Wirtz looks set to explode.
6. Youri Tielemans (Manchester United)
Youri Tielemans didn’t just appear in Belgium’s run to the last eight. He drove them there.
Big moments, big games, and a midfield presence that never shrank. That form has now earned him what he has long craved: a move from Aston Villa to Manchester United.
United are getting a midfielder who does the ugly work without complaint and still finds time to arrive on the edge of the box and score important goals. Old Trafford has been crying out for that balance. Tielemans has the temperament and the skill set to thrive under the glare.
5. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Bukayo Saka played the World Cup with the brakes half on.
An injury had to be managed throughout the tournament, and it cost England dearly when he couldn’t start the semifinal defeat to Argentina. Even so, he left a mark: a lovely assist against Mexico, a ruthless hat trick in the third-place win over France, and sharp cameos off the bench.
Everyone already knows what Saka can do when he’s fully fit. Arsenal will lean on him again as their main attacking outlet, the man who carries the ball, takes defenders on and decides tight games. If he stays on the pitch, their title defense looks a lot more convincing.
4. Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United)
Every time Lisandro Martínez has been missing for Manchester United, the team has looked different. Softer. Less sure of itself.
Argentina’s run to the World Cup final underlined why. The no-nonsense center back marshalled the back line, stepped into challenges with conviction and set the tone with his aggression. When he had to come off in the final with a minor injury, it felt like a punch to Argentina’s structure.
United’s “comeback” depends heavily on a stable, fearless defense. Martínez will be the one snarling at opponents, organizing the line and dragging standards up. His importance is no longer up for debate.
3. Bruno Guimarães (Arsenal)
Bruno Guimarães went to the World Cup and turned into Brazil’s creative engine.
Four assists, with only Michael Olise managing more at the tournament. His vision and weight of pass kept unlocking defenses, and those performances have now been rewarded with a huge move from Newcastle United to Arsenal.
Arsenal have paid around $101 million for a reason. Guimarães brings hunger, leadership and a sharp competitive edge. He will raise the intensity of the dressing room and add another layer of craft in midfield. It’s a statement signing, and he looks built to handle the pressure that comes with it.
2. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
When Declan Rice is missing or half-fit, both Arsenal and England feel it immediately.
He still put together a strong World Cup despite managing illness and injury at various stages. He covered ground, broke up play and kept his teams ticking in possession. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was essential.
Arsenal’s entire approach leans heavily on Rice. He sets the press, he patrols the space in front of the back four, and he dictates the tempo with the ball. If they’re serious about winning back-to-back titles, his form and fitness will sit right at the center of that ambition.
1. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Of course.
Erling Haaland went to the World Cup and did exactly what everyone expected: scored goals in bunches and turned into an even bigger global phenomenon. Seven goals for Norway as they reached the quarterfinals, plus the now-familiar circus of cameras, interviews and social media clips off the pitch.
Back at Manchester City, the script feels familiar but no less frightening for defenders. Enzo Maresca’s system should create a steady stream of counter-attacking chances, with Haaland lurking on the shoulder, waiting for the release pass.
Another 30-goal Premier League season is not a bold prediction; it feels like the baseline. The only real question is how much chaos he causes along the way, both in the penalty area and on every screen on the planet.
