Sportal.bg's Ideal XI of the 2026 World Cup Group Stage

With the 2026 World Cup group stage now complete, the knockout rounds are set to begin. The initial matches have already highlighted the tournament's standout performers so far in North America. Sportal.bg has compiled an ideal team of the tournament's first phase, arranged in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Goalkeeper: Vozinha (Cape Verde)

The 40-year-old goalkeeper for debutants Cape Verde made a stunning impression in his first-ever World Cup match, frustrating Spain to secure a sensational goalless draw. In the 2-2 draw against Uruguay, Vozinha conceded twice, but neither goal was his fault. He then recorded his second clean sheet in another 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia, although he wasn't required to be as brilliant as he was against the European champions.

Right-Back: Ramin Rezaeian (Iran)

Perhaps the most surprising inclusion in this lineup, it's hard to ignore the right-back's three goal contributions in as many matches for Iran. He was the man of the match in the 2-2 draw against New Zealand, scoring a goal and providing an assist. Rezaeian then contributed to a surprising 0-0 draw with Belgium and registered another assist in the 1-1 draw with Egypt.

Centre-Back: Gabriel Magalhães (Brazil)

The defender carried his excellent form from Arsenal onto the pitches of North America, playing a major role in Brazil's two clean sheets during their 3-0 victories over Haiti and Scotland. Although the Seleção couldn't avoid conceding in their 1-1 draw with Morocco, Gabriel remained a stable and reliable presence in defence.

Centre-Back: Aymeric Laporte (Spain)

Only two teams have kept three clean sheets in the tournament so far—Mexico and Spain—and the Athletic Bilbao defender has been a pillar of La Furia Roja's defence. He has played the full 270 minutes, not only performing at a high level defensively but also providing an assist in the 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. The other two clean sheets came in the goalless draw with Cape Verde and the 1-0 victory over Uruguay.

Left-Back: Nuno Mendes (Portugal)

The surprising 1-1 draw with DR Congo wasn't the ideal start for either the Paris Saint-Germain player or Portugal. However, in the 5-0 demolition of Uzbekistan, Mendes not only contributed to a clean sheet but also scored a superb free-kick. He followed this up with another clean sheet as part of the Portuguese defence in the goalless draw with Colombia.

Midfielder: Joshua Kimmich (Germany)

The German captain started all of his team's group stage matches and is among the tournament's top players in terms of passing. Unsurprisingly, Kimmich registered two assists in the 7-1 victory over Curaçao and was again masterful with his distribution during the 2-1 comeback win against Ivory Coast. However, his efforts were not enough to prevent a 2-1 comeback defeat to Ecuador.

Midfielder: Jan Paul van Hecke (Netherlands)

The Brighton player has been one of the standout figures in Ronald Koeman's squad so far. In the 2-2 draw with Japan, he impressed with both his passing and his dribbling. The same was true in the convincing 5-1 victory over Sweden. The cherry on top, however, was his performance in the 3-1 win against Tunisia, where Van Hecke not only completed 130 of 133 attempted passes but also scored one of the goals.

Right Winger: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

The superstar of the reigning world champions has been the best player of the tournament so far. Despite recently turning 39, Messi is the top scorer of the group stage, having netted a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Algeria, scored both goals in the 2-0 victory against Austria, and converted a free-kick in the 3-1 win over Jordan, despite being a substitute in the third match.

Attacking Midfielder: Jude Bellingham (England)

The Real Madrid star started all three of the Three Lions' matches and was instrumental in their two victories. He scored at a crucial moment in the 4-2 win over Croatia, with the score tied at 2-2 early in the second half. Against Panama, Bellingham led his team to a 2-0 victory with a goal and an assist. The midfielder couldn't break down Ghana's tough defence, but the entire English attack underperformed in that goalless draw.

Left Winger: Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)

The partnership between manager Carlo Ancelotti and Brazil's star Vinícius Júnior at the 2026 World Cup has brought back memories of their successful time together at Real Madrid. The winger has been unstoppable on American soil, scoring once against Morocco (1-1), contributing a goal and an assist against Haiti (3-0), and netting a brace against Scotland (3-0). As a result, only Messi has scored more goals than him in the tournament after the group stage.

Centre-Forward: Kylian Mbappé (France)

The top scorer of the 2022 World Cup immediately showed why he is a top contender for the Golden Boot at this tournament as well. He scored a brace first against Senegal (3-1) and then again against Iraq (3-0). While Mbappé didn't score against Norway (4-1), he still made two goal contributions, this time in the form of assists. He continues to chase Messi's goal tally not only at the 2026 World Cup but in the overall history of the tournament.