Many great players showed up in the first week of the 2026 World Championships. Here are those who deserved to be recognized.
**In the first week of the 2026 World Cup, many excellent players appeared on the pitch, from veterans to young talents.** Below we present the players who deserved recognition after the first group matches in the tournament.
**TOP PLAYERS**
We selected 11 players who played in the first match of their national teams and deserved recognition. We used the classic 4-4-2 formation.
The goalkeeper was **Vozinha** from Cape Verde, who saved as many as 7 shots in his debut in the World Cup (0-0 against Spain).
Defenders:
- **Achraf Hakimi** (Morocco) – very good performance against Brazil (1:1)
- **Nico Schlotterbeck** (Germany) – scored a goal in the match against Curacao (7:1)
- **Tarik Muharemović** (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – solid performance in the match against Canada (0:0)
- **Antonee Robinson** (USA) – very good performance against Paraguay (4:1)
Helpers:
- **Yan Diomande** (Côte d'Ivoire) – created 5 chances in the match against Ecuador (1-0)
- **Yasin Ayari** (Sweden) – scored two beautiful long-range goals in the match against Tunisia (5:1)
- **Ayyoub Bouaddi** (Morocco) – very good performance in the match against Brazil (1:1)
- **Vinícius Júnior** (Brazil) – scored a beautiful goal that saved the draw in the match against Morocco (1:1)
Attackers:
- **Folarin Balogun** (USA) – scored two goals in the match against Paraguay (4:1)
- **Alexander Isak** (Sweden) – in the match against Tunisia (5:1) he scored a goal and provided an assist.
**SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT CRITERIA**
Luis Miguel, author of the article on FOX Sports, used slightly different criteria when selecting outstanding players.
**Vozinha** was in goal again, having saved 7 shots in the match against Spain.
Defender **Diney Borges** (Cape Verde) for his well-organized defense in the match against Spain.
Helpers:
- **Alex Freeman** (USA) – for his good play in the match against Paraguay
- **Daniel Muñoz** (Colombia) – for speed and creativity in the game
- **Achraf Hakimi** (Morocco) – for his good performance in the match against Brazil
**SUMMARY**
The first week of the 2026 World Cup showed that not only experienced veterans play in the tournament, but also young talents who may become leaders of their teams in the future.
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