Top XI
GK: Vozinha (40, Cape Verde)
Vozinha has been one of the stories of this World Cup. The 40-year-old arrived as an unknown, having played in Moldova, Cyprus, Slovakia, and the Portuguese second tier for most of his career, but left North America as the goalkeeper with the third-most saves through the round of 32 (18, only behind Orlando Gill and Eloy Room).
Especially against Spain (7 saves) and Argentina (8 saves), Vozinha made a name for himself. The experienced stopper last played for Chaves in Portugal, where he's likely to stick around to stay close to his family, but with 26.2 million Instagram followers, you can't help but wonder what his PR worth might do for him.
RB: Takehiro Tomiyasu (27, Japan)
After a long spell on the sidelines, Tomiyasu appeared at Ajax during the 2025-26 season. The former Arsenal man didn't get many chances in a struggling Ajax side, but showed his class whenever he did and did the same for Japan at the World Cup.
The 27-year-old is free to pick up and brings a wealth of experience. He has thrown many of the doubts surrounding his fitness out the window, having played 176 minutes at the World Cup, including the full 90 against Brazil.
CB: John Stones (32, England)
A comeback at Everton looms, but John Stones remains an interesting name to monitor. Stones has played 88 minutes through four World Cup games after playing just 16 games across all competitions in his last season with Manchester City. At 32, Stones has plenty left in him.
CB: David Alaba (34, Austria)
Two years older than Stones, David Alaba captained Austria in their first World Cup since 1998 after struggling to get valuable playing time at Real Madrid. Despite that, Alaba was the highest-rated Austrian player according to Flashscore's new-and-improved player ratings system, with an average rating of 7.3, and ranked among the top 10 defenders with the most forward passes per 90 minutes (26.9, 9th).
LB: Gideon Mensah (28, Ghana)
Ghana were very tough to break down at the back, as shown by their 0-0 draw with England. One of the stars at the back for the Black Stars was Gideon Mensah, who frustrated England with 9 clearances, 2 interceptions, and 8/12 won duels. He successfully kept Noni Madueke and Marcus Rashford in check.
Mensah left French outfit Auxerre after four years and already has a duo of German sides after him, according to Flashscore's Owuraku Ampofo.
DM: Casemiro (34, Brazil)
It was rather clear that Casemiro had lost a step in his last season at Manchester United, but he's proving crucial in Brazil's World Cup campaign. The Brazilian veteran is a certain starter for Carlo Ancelotti and repaid that trust with a pivotal goal against Japan in the round of 32, while also being ever so reliable in midfield.
CM: Franck Kessie (29, Ivory Coast)
Still 'only' 29, Franck Kessie captained an entertaining Ivory Coast team that pushed Erling Haaland's Norway all the way to the max in the round of 32 and frustrated Germany until deep in injury time. Kessie is the Elephants' engine room, recording 16 won possessions and 163 completed passes, both ranking second among Ivorian players.
CM: Luka Modric (40, Croatia)
Rumours surrounding Luka Modric's retirement are naggingly present, and what a shame it would be to lose such a classy player. If the decorated Croat decides to play one more season, it will be off the back of another strong World Cup, where Modric created five chances and won possession 15 times, which ranked him first and second in the squad.
AM: Daichi Kamada (29, Japan)
Daichi Kamada was crucial in Crystal Palace's UEFA Conference League victory and, whether he knew it or not, also played a big role in Japan's rather impressive World Cup outing with a subtle yet pivotal touch for Japan's 2-2 draw against the Netherlands.
Kamada was everywhere to be found for Japan, recording team-highs in won possessions (19), successful passes (170) and chances created (5) while also scoring twice.
FW: Mohamed Salah (34, Egypt)
What can be said about Mo Salah that hasn't already been said? Salah is a modern legend, having won it all with Liverpool, but not getting the storybook ending his Anfield career deserved. Nevertheless, after a 7-goal and 7-assist season in the Premier League, Salah has valiantly defended his country's honour at the World Cup, where Egypt have made it to the round of 16 - their best-ever result.
Salah has scored twice and assisted one goal for the Pharaohs, where he's created a rather formidable duo with Omar Marmoush. Besides those numbers, his 12 created chances from open play show that he's still a leader at 34 years of age.
FW: Riyad Mahrez (35, Algeria)
Following his retirement from international football, it was also confirmed that Riyad Mahrez had left Saudi outfit Al Ain and is free to go wherever he wants. Mahrez showed he still has it with two goals against Austria and five created chances in four games.
List of all free agents
The following players were all called up to the FIFA World Cup for their respective nations, but might not have played any minutes. To find out more about them, click their names to find their complete Flashscore profile.
Goalkeepers:
Tyrick Bodak (24, Curacao), Angus Gunn (30, Scotland), Orjan Nyland (34, Norway), David Ospina (37, Colombia), Johnny Placide (38, Haiti), Mat Ryan (34, Australia), Nikola Vasilj (30, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Vozinha (40, Cape Verde)
Defenders:
David Alaba (CB, 34, Austria), Dylan Batubinsika (CB, 30, D.R. Congo), Riechedly Bazoer (CB, 29, Curacao), Zeki Celik (RB, 29, Turkey), Krepin Diatta (RB, 27, Senegal), Saed El-Rousan (CB, 29, Jordan), Martin Experience (LB, 27, Haiti), Deniz Hadzikadunic (CB, 27, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Akem Hashem (CB, 27, Iraq), Derrick Luckassen (CB, 31, Ghana), Deiver Machado (LB, 32, Colombia), Gideon Mensah (LB, 27, Ghana), Thomas Meunier (RB, 34, Belgium), Abdul Mumin (CB, 28, Ghana), Abdallah Nasib (CB, 32, Jordan), Frans Putros (CB, 32, Iraq), Ricardo Rodriguez (LB, 33, Switzerland), Marwane Saadane (CB, 34, Morocco), Abdoulaye Seck (CB, 34, Senegal), John Stones (CB, 32, England), Takehiro Tomiyasu (RB, 27, Japan), Roshon van Eijma (CB, 28, Curacao)
Midfielders:
Nizar Al-Rashdan (DM, 27, Jordan), Noor Al-Rawabdeh (CM, 29, Jordan), Rajaei Ayed (CM, 32, Jordan), Mohammed Belhadj Mahmoud (CM, 26, Tunisia), Dzenis Burnic (DM, 28, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Casemiro (DM, 34, Brazil), Fabinho (DM, 32, Brazil), Remo Freuler (34, CM, Switzerland), Leon Goretzka (CM, 31, Germany), Florian Grillitsch (DM, 30, Austria), Idrissa Gana Gueye (DM, 38, Senegal), Ajdin Hrustic (AM, 30, Australia), Daichi Kamada (AM, 29, Japan), Franck Kessie (CM, 29, Ivory Coast), Luka Modric (40, CM, Croatia), Jamiro Monteiro (CM, 32, Cape Verde), Salih Ozcan (28, CM, Turkey), Thomas Partey (DM, 33, Ghana), James Rodriguez (AM, 34, Colombia), Godfried Roemeratoe (DM, 26, Curacao), Xaver Schlager (CM, 28, Austria), Yannick Semedo (CM, 30, Cape Verde), Otabek Shukurov (CM, 30, Uzbekistan), Axel Witsel (37, DM, Belgium)
Forwards:
Mohanad Ali (ST, 26, Iraq), Jordan Ayew (ST, 34, Ghana), Cedric Bakambu (ST, 35, D.R. Congo), Kosta Barbarouses (ST, 36, New Zealand), Theo Bongonda (RW, 30, D.R. Congo), Jovane Cabral (LW, 28, Cape Verde), Bamba Dieng (ST, 26, Senegal), Edin Dzeko (ST, 40, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (RW, 32, Iran), Brandley Kuwas (RW, 33, Curacao), Riyad Mahrez (RW, 35, Algeria), Fiston Mayele (ST, 32, D.R. Congo), Ryan Mendes (LW, 36, Cape Verde), Shahriar Moghaniou (ST, 31, Iran), Mohamed Salah (RW, 34, Egypt), Willy Semedo (LW, 32, Cape Verde), Ross Stewart (ST, 29, Scotland), Neshan Vilupillay (LW, 25, Australia)
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup is taking place from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament features 48 national teams and is played at 16 modern stadiums.
Match schedule and times | Group standings and knockout bracket | How to watch the World Cup | World Cup Format | Past winners of the tournament