Collecting the Top Players at the 2026 World Cup: Group F & G
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We continue our series looking at the top players in each group to collect. We got through the first five groups, but we need to pick up the pace, and we will be stacking groups together. Especially as some teams just don't have many cards to collect.
For Iran, their captain, Mehdi Taremi, has cards, but he hasn't been very relevant since his days at Porto. New Zealand has Chris Wood, but he was probably fifth, at best, as far as cards you would want from Nottingham Forest in most sets.
We'll take a look at the top players from each team in Group F and then Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
Netherlands - MF Tijjani Reijnders
I don't want to get in the habit of chasing midfielders, but I do think Reijnders offers enough on set pieces that he at least has a ceiling to chase. This Gold Panini Select RC /10 sold for $200 in the summer of 2025, and Card Ladder now values it at $340. A lot of his stuff is underpriced compared to other talented midfielders in the tournament.
Sweden - F Viktor Gyokeres
Before Sweden's first match, Gyokeres was already setting new records for his all-time high card sales. This 2023-24 Donruss Optic Gold Power 1/1 RC sold for $9,150 the day before his first game. After a goal and an assist in a 5-1 trouncing of Tunisia, the market is only going up on Gyokeres, with Sweden looking in a great spot to advance out of the group.
Japan - F Takefusa Kubo
Takefusa Kubo is the main engine of the Japanese attack, with Kaoru Mitoma and Takumi Minamino out of the squad due to injuries. Kubo has had a few strong seasons at Real Sociedad in Spain, but has never really found hobby love despite being one of the best players in the league over the last few seasons. His 2019-20 Panini Chronicles Contenders Rookie Ticket is the most iconic of the three rookies Kubo had in the set, with the base Chronicles and Pitch Kings being the other two. His Rookie Ticket sells for around $100 in a PSA 10, but a Cracked Ice /23 will cost north of $1,000.
Tunisia - MF Hannibal
The Tunisian team doesn't have a ton of star power, but Hannibal is the one player who stands out above the rest. A Manchester United youth product, he played for Burnley in 2025-26 but could be on the move this summer after Burnley's relegation. He was used in a more defensive position at Burnley, but plays in a more advanced role for Tunisia. A big World Cup could convince another Premier League team to get him on the ball more. His market is down from the hype of his rookie year as a Manchester United player, with his Elephant Prizm SP from the 2022 World Cup Prizm set available for under $80.
Belgium - MF Kevin de Bruyne
One of the legends of the game at their final World Cup. De Bruyne has been a fixture for Manchester City and Belgium for a decade before his move to Napoli this year. While he wasn't putting up outrageous numbers as he did in his prime, he still scored 5 goals and added 2 assists in 13 starts for Napoli, but was still dominant in World Cup Qualification for Belgium. The 2017 Topps Chrome set is iconic in the soccer hobby, and a Blue /150 in a PSA 10 last sold for $595. It is one of the cheaper entry points for an iconic card from an iconic set for an icon.
Egypt - Mo Salah
Mo Salah is another one of the legends at their (most likely) final World Cup this year. Salah has been a stalwart at Liverpool since the 2017-18 season, but rose to prominence in the FIFA video game as one of the "Career Mode Stars" while at Basel in Switzerland. After a failed move to Chelsea and loans in Italy, he joined Roma but spent only a year there before moving to Liverpool. The rest is history for Salah. He has his first autos in 2025-26 Premier League Chrome, but those will cost thousands of dollars. A 2018 World Cup Prizm Red /149 color match, last sold for $185, and would make a great hold for one of the icons.
We'll continue with more previews this week as the first group stage games wrap up at the 2026 World Cup.
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Brendan has worked for various platforms, including The Washington Post, SB Nation, NBC Sports Washington, and more, covering everything from college basketball to fantasy football and betting. An avid collector as a kid, he got back into collecting in 2021 and is a dedicated soccer, football, and basketball collector.
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