From Salah to De Bruyne, five stars to watch at the World Cup in Vancouver

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The 34-year-old midfielder will look to lead Belgium back to contention after falling in the group stage four years ago and finishing third in the event in 2018. De Bruyne, who now plays for Napoli in Serie A, was once part of a star-studded Manchester City side that won six of seven English Premier League titles between 2017 and 2024. He was twice named EPL player of the season during that span and also finished third in Ballon d’Or voting for the world’s best player in 2022. Belgium will face New Zealand on June 26 in Group G play.

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Thibaut Courtois, Belgium

Courtois has succeeded at just about every stop, including winning the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove award in 2018. He was named Best FIFA Goalkeeper in 2018 and finished as a runner-up for the award three times (2022, 2023, 2025) amid his current run with La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid. In his time with Chelsea, he won the EPL Golden Glove award in 2017.

Mohamed Salah, Egypt

Salah will be leading the charge as the Egyptians make their third-straight World Cup appearance, but are still in search of their first win. The 33-year-old forward has 67 goals in 116 caps for Egypt. Salah made his name in a near-decade stint with Liverpool in the English Premier League, twice winning EPL player of the season, earning three Golden Boot awards as the leading goal scorer and powering the team to two EPL titles and a Champions League trophy in 2019. He also finished fourth in voting for the Ballon d’Or in 2025. Egypt will play New Zealand on June 21 in Group G action.

Hakan Calhanoglu, Turkey

The 32-year-old midfielder leads the charge as the Turks make their first appearance at the World Cup since 2002, when the team had its best finish, placing third. Calhanoglu made his name in the top Italian league, Serie A, playing a few seasons for AC Milan before his current stint with Inter Milan. He was named the league’s best midfielder in 2023-24 and led Inter Milan to runner-up finishes in the Champions League in 2022-23 and 2024-25. Turkey’s lone game in Vancouver will be against Australia in Group G.

Manuel Akanji, Switzerland

A teammate of Calhanoglu’s at Inter Milan — being on loan from Manchester City — Akanji has earned 77 caps for Switzerland, including the last two World Cups and multiple European Championships. He was a key cog for Manchester City’s Premier League title-winning teams in 2022-23 and 2023-24, as well as the Champions League title in the former year. This will be Switzerland’s sixth straight World Cup appearance, with its best finishes being its quarterfinal appearances in 1934, 1938 and 1954. Switzerland’s lone match in Vancouver will be against host Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2026.

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press