Pele in 1958, Michael Owen in 1998, and Thomas Müller in 2010 are just some of the breakout stars who have used the World Cup platform to announce themselves on the world stage.

While this World Cup is set to be the last for many of football's modern greats, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Luka Modric, it will also usher in a new generation of promising talents who could steal the spotlight this summer.

One of the greatest aspects of the world's most prestigious tournament is discovering both promising youth prospects and hidden gems from countries you have never seen before, and with an expanded tournament this time around, there are plenty of talented players looking to make an impact at this World Cup.

There is no shortage of talent present across Group G. From a player dubbed the 'Egyptian Haaland' to a 21-year-old Belgian forward who could be starting for the Red Devils following Romelu Lukaku's injury-riddled season, there are plenty of talents to look out for when Group G gets underway on the 15th of June.

Making his Belgium debut in 2010, the now-33-year-old Romelu Lukaku was a major uncertainty heading into the 2026 World Cup, having been limited to just 64 minutes for Napoli this season after suffering from various injuries in the 2025/26 campaign.

Despite being called up for the Red Devils' friendlies in March and April, he withdrew due to further fitness concerns, so it may have come as a slight shock that the Belgian, who is by far the country's top scorer with 90 goals, was included by Rudi Garcia.

Despite featuring in the friendlies against Croatia and Tunisia in the run-up to the tournament, it remains to be seen how involved Lukaku will be. Perhaps that is why Garcia has called upon 21-year-old Matias Fernandez-Pardo as an attacking option.

Eligible for both Belgium and Spain, Fernandez-Pardo was thought to prefer representing Spain, but after being offered the chance to represent Belgium at this World Cup, the forward, who scored eight goals this season for Lille, opted to accept Garcia's call-up.

The 21-year-old was given the nod over Juventus' Lois Openda, who has underperformed since moving to the Serie A. While Charles De Ketelaere will most likely be the starting option, Fernandez-Pardo can certainly expect substantial playing time at the World Cup and could even start the final game of the group stage if a first-placed group finish has already been secured.

Egypt, who typically line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, will almost certainly be spearheaded by Manchester City's Omar Marmoush, who is coming off the back of a fairly underwhelming Premier League campaign, playing just 700 minutes and scoring three times.

More worryingly for Egypt will be Mohamed Salah's form going into the season, who, after looking like he would never slow down over the past few seasons, has finally shown that he is mortal, with the 33-year-old scoring seven and assisting seven in his final season at Liverpool, leaving Merseyside as a free agent.

While Egypt are quite strong defensively, goals could be hard to come by. In comes 18-year-old wonderkid Hamza Abdelkarim, who could prove to be a very effective weapon coming off the bench.

Abdelkarim, dubbed the 'Egyptian Haaland', is known for his impressive pace and could prove to be vital against tiring legs in a tournament where heat has been a major talking point, and could be vital in a side that likes to hit teams on the counter.

The 18-year-old has been on loan at Barcelona from Al Ahly since January, and the Spanish giants recently decided to make the move permanent for around £1.3 million after impressing for the under-19 team.

The teenager's displays in Spain have earned him a call-up to represent his national side, and he has been given the No.9 shirt by Hossam Hassan.

The build-up to Iran's World Cup campaign has been far from straightforward, with the conflict between the USA and the Middle Eastern country casting their participation into serious doubt in the weeks and months leading up to the tournament.

One player who has missed out on a national team call-up due to the conflict is prolific striker Sardar Azmoun, with reports of a perceived act of disloyalty to the country's government leading Amir Ghalenoei to omit him from the preliminary squad despite his scoring 57 goals in 91 appearances for Iran.

Ghalenoei has been very experimental with his formation choices leading up to the World Cup, deploying a 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 5-4-1, and even an unconventional 3-6-1 as he looks for his best lineup. 

Interestingly, Taremi was deployed as a No.10 in the 4-2-3-1 setup, where he linked play and also got on the scoresheet, as the 33-year-old remains a reliable goal-scorer, having notched 58 goals in 104 caps for his country.

With Taremi potentially playing slightly deeper or as part of a front two, this opens the door for 25-year-old Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh to leave his imprint on the tournament after being a standout in the Persian Gulf Pro League.

Last season, he won the Golden Boot with 14 goals and six assists, and was once again leading the league in goals after 22 matchdays before the season was suspended due to the ongoing conflict.

A big advantage Hosseinzadeh holds is that he is very versatile across the forward line, having played in several attacking roles for his club and the national team, including as an attacking midfielder before switching to centre-forward.

It could be said that New Zealand have already had their breakout star in Tim Payne, who was identified by an Argentine influencer as the least followed player in the tournament.

After a social media campaign to gain as many followers as possible, the 32-year-old now has 5.6 million Instagram followers, more than New Zealand's entire population.

When it comes to on the pitch, Chris Wood will be the All Whites' greatest hope of winning the country's first ever World Cup game, as the lowest-ranked nation going into the tournament looks to cause a major upset.

While Wood has had an injury-riddled season for Nottingham Forest, he finished the season well and will look to take that form into the World Cup. While New Zealand preferred a possession-based style in their Oceania qualifying, it will be very difficult to implement against tougher opposition, and the 34-year-old could end up isolated.

However, one player who will be an integral part in supplying Chris Wood is Callum McCowatt, a 27-year-old attacking midfielder who plays for Silkeborg IF in the Norwegian Eliteserien.

McCowatt, who has featured in various positions across the front line as a winger and a centre-forward for the All Whites, thrived in attacking midfield in Norway, scoring 12 and assisting five across the 2025/26 campaign, even scoring a hat trick against Norwegian giants Copenhagen. 

As New Zealand will almost certainly be on the back foot for the majority of their group games, McCowatt could be key in unlocking defences and supplying Chris Wood, who remains a big aerial threat, a fruitful avenue for scoring in the opening World Cup fixtures.