Top 8 Premier League Players in World Cup Qualifiers — Featuring a Surprising Liverpool Flop
With the global tournament qualifiers drawing to a close, and only a few matches remaining before the crucial play-off round in March, we’re highlighting the top 10 Premier League performers from this lengthy qualifying process, which began for some countries as far back as September of last year.
Here’s a rundown of the teams that have already secured their spots, and an update on the Republic of Ireland’s situation, along with other nations vying for a play-off berth.
Furthermore, we’re showcasing a Premier League lineup composed entirely of players who have yet to receive their first international appearance.
8. Cody Gakpo (Liverpool)
Country: Netherlands
This player, despite outperforming every Liverpool player this season with a combined total of goals and assists in the Premier League (5), is still frequently undervalued.
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Many supporters seemingly prefer the return of another player, even though this player was directly competing for a starting position with him last season.
It’s reasonable to believe that if this player had transferred to a major club like Bayern Munich in the summer, Liverpool fans would now be viewing him with the same longing and appreciation.
Furthermore, his contributions extend to the international stage, where he has consistently performed well for his national team, securing four goals and four assists in recent World Cup qualifying matches.
His overall international record is impressive, showcasing a high goal and assist rate. To put this into perspective, his statistics rival those of another highly-regarded international player, highlighting his significant impact on the pitch.
7. Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
Country: Argentina
Even though he experienced challenging periods at Chelsea, he consistently performed exceptionally well for Argentina, maintaining his status as an indispensable player.
Despite current successes at Stamford Bridge, Fernandez remains a vital element in Lionel Scaloni’s national team strategy. This is one of the many reasons why Argentina is ranked highly in global football assessments.
The pinnacle of both his personal and Argentina’s collective success arrived in a commanding 4-1 victory against Brazil in March. Following this match, the Argentinian media praised his “almost flawless” performance.
At just 24 years old, Fernandez exerted a strong influence on the game. Positioned as the midfielder nearest to Julian Alvarez, often receiving the ball with his back to the opposition’s goal, he seamlessly connected plays, exhibiting a level of composure and skill usually reserved for the most naturally talented players.
6. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Country: England
It feels a bit forced to include an English player on this list, and since Harry Kane, now playing in the Premier League but considered disloyal, isn’t eligible, we’ve gone with Declan Rice.
Lee Dixon, apparently completely seriously and without any comedic self-awareness, lauded him as “the best corner-kick taker on earth” during a recent broadcast.
While only one of Rice’s assists was actually from a corner, two others stemmed from crosses.
Dixon’s high praise likely comes primarily from watching him in high-profile Premier League and Champions League matches, but the truth is Rice is undoubtedly a highly skilled deliverer of the ball.
5. Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)
Country: Belgium
Doku was once considered part of a collection of promising but not quite top-tier Manchester City attackers. He might even have been lagging behind players like Savinho, Oscar Bobb, and Omar Marmoush.
However, he’s shown notable progress this season, defying our expectations and we admit we were skeptical that he’d never develop into a truly impactful player. We thought he’d be stuck as a purely pace-based winger.
In interviews, he seems very sharp and receptive to guidance. He’s previously praised Thierry Henry for advising him on how to boost his goal and assist numbers, rather than simply demanding more of them.
Now, both Manchester City and the Belgian national team are benefiting from Henry’s advice to streamline his dribbling and avoid overthinking the need to beat his defender every time before crossing.
Lamine Yamal is the only player that has more successful dribbles per match (7.5) averaged than Doku (5.6).
But what truly elevates Doku and transforms him into a much more well-rounded winger is his average of 3.1 key passes per game, ranking him 14th in European qualifying.
4. Mohammed Salah (Liverpool)
Country: Egypt
Looking back at October, the match against Djibouti proved to be a bright spot for Mohamed Salah, a welcome contrast to the difficulties he was experiencing at the club level.
As the leader of the Egyptian national team, Salah not only guaranteed their participation in the upcoming global tournament but also achieved a significant personal milestone, surpassing all others to become the highest-scoring player in African qualifying history with an impressive 20 goals.
Within the ongoing qualification period for the 2026 tournament, Salah’s nine goals were only exceeded by Mohamed Amoura of Algeria.
Considering his recent performances, new manager Arne Slot might be pleased if Salah were to replicate that goal tally across the entirety of the Premier League season, encompassing all 38 games.
3. Mikel Merino (Arsenal)
Country: Spain
He’s been a constant presence in Spain’s lineup, featuring in every match and playing the entire duration of the first four.
His impressive performance includes six goals, notably a hat-trick during their dominant 6-0 victory over Turkey, who were second in the group.
Following a strong showing against Bulgaria in October, where he scored twice and provided an assist, Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente praised Merino, highlighting his outstanding all-around skill and ability to adjust to different roles.
Interestingly, this very versatility might be hindering his progress at Arsenal, where he’s only been in the starting eleven for a handful of Premier League games.
The issue seems to be that while he’s proficient in many areas, he doesn’t truly excel in any single position, preventing him from becoming a specialist.
However, his consistent contributions for Spain have made him indispensable, securing his place in the team. He consistently delivers strong performances, whether playing as a central midfielder or in a more advanced attacking role, showcasing his adaptability and value.
3. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Country: Norway
This Norway team shares something in common with the Wales squad of 2016. Both teams possess exceptional attacking talents.
Norway has a goal scorer and creative midfielder who hold a similar level of importance and impact as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey did for Wales.
Just like Wales, Norway has capable players beyond their star duo. Wales boasted players like Ashley Williams, Ben Davies, and Joe Allen who contributed significantly.
Similarly, Norway has Alexander Sorloth, Sander Berge, and Kristoffer Ajer, all of whom are competent footballers. Even without Haaland, they would have been considered a long-shot contender to qualify.
Therefore, anyone questioning their potential impact in the tournament without Erling Haaland should also consider the considerable impact of a Norway team without Odegaard.
Odegaard’s contributions were truly outstanding. His seven assists in only five matches were the highest across Europe, and he led the way in creating goal-scoring opportunities, averaging five per game. This clearly demonstrates his pivotal role in Norway’s attack.
1. Erling Haaland
Country: Norway
Erling Haaland’s goal-scoring record for Norway is simply remarkable. He’s currently sitting on a staggering 55 goals in just 48 appearances for his nation, significantly increasing his advantage as Norway’s leading goalscorer of all time.
To put it in perspective, he’s far ahead of the previous record holder, Jorgen Juve, who has 33 goals.
Even just considering this recent World Cup qualifying period, Haaland’s performance is exceptional. He’s netted 16 goals in only 8 matches.
That incredible tally almost surpasses what Morten Gamst Pederson achieved throughout his entire international career, spanning 82 games.
In fact, Haaland’s goal haul during the qualifying campaign alone would place him twentieth on a list of top Norwegian goalscorers.
Moreover, his dominance in European qualifying was undeniable. He doubled the goal count of the next closest players, Harry Kane, Marko Arnautovic, and Memphis Depay, who each managed eight goals.
His exceptional performance extends globally, as he emerged as the top scorer in all World Cup qualifying competitions worldwide, including those where teams play a far greater number of matches.
According to Norwegian journalist Lars Sivertsen, Haaland’s impact is unprecedented. “We’ve never had a player who’s reached such a high level of stardom like Erling,” Sivertsen stated.
“I believe there’s a strong argument to be made that he’s already the best player Norway has ever produced.”
