Football’s brightest talents will assemble in North America to showcase their skills at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Premier League is heavily represented at the summer tournament, but there are also 36 players from the Championship who look to shine for their respective nations.
Below we look at a few of the promising stars from the highest division of the English Football League.
Viktor Johansson (Sweden)
Sweden punched their ticket to the 2026 World Cup finals after missing the 2022 edition of the tournament.
Viktor Johansson missed their play-off wins against Ukraine and Poland due to injury issues, but he is fighting to reclaim the starting spot.
It remains to be seen who manager Graham Potter picks in goal, with Derby County’s Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and Kristoffer Nordfeldt of AIK the other two contenders for the role.
Jose Cordoba (Panama)
Cordoba was a key member of Norwich City’s first-team in 2025-26, amassing 30 appearances across all competitions.
He has been picked in Panama’s squad as the only UK-based player.
The Red Tide are making their second appearance at the World Cup, having qualified for the 2022 edition in Russia.
Cameron Burgess (Swansea City)
Burgess started all 46 Championship games for Swansea City last season.
He also featured in central defence for 11 of the 14 World Cup qualifying matches for Australia.
Burgess could again line up in defence for the Socceroos alongside defender Harry Souttar.
Edo Kayembe (DR Congo)
Kayembe has been a consistent performer for both club and country over the years.
He scored four goals in 37 Championship games for Watford last season.
Kayembe will look to shine at the World Cup for DR Congo, who are appearing at the tournament for the first time since 1974.
Stats from Transfermarkt
