Ranking the top 10 cult heroes of the 2026 World Cup

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17 July 2026

We’ve all got time for a cult hero or two, and what better stage for them to emerge than at a

World Cup

A cult hero is someone who’s not quite a superstar, but thrives as an underdog and quickly gains a corner of support.

There have been many at the

over the years, even more so now the expanded format has led to more teams and more players we’d frankly never heard of before.

But who have been the biggest cult heroes of the 2026 World Cup? We’ve picked out our 10 favourites.

Just an incredible story. Born in Dublin, playing for

Shamrock Rovers

since 2017 and rocking up at the

with Cape Verde.

Eligible because of his dad, Lopes has been playing for Cape Verde since 2019, after initially ignoring their messages to him because he thought it was spam.

He’ll be glad he realised it was no hoax. The centre-back was ever-present for Cape Verde’s stunning run to the round of 32, where they lost to

Argentina

but only after taking the game to extra time.

Lopes has since been back in action with

in the Champions League qualifying rounds. He couldn’t be part of another underdog story in a prestigious tournament, could he?

With three goals to his name, Just scored more goals for

New Zealand

at the 2026

than his whole country had managed to score at any previous

The

Motherwell

winger scored a brace on his tournament debut against Iran and also got his side’s consolation in their loss to Belgium for their last group game.

“In terms of transfer in the window, that’s I guess my agent’s job,” he said after New Zealand’s elimination. “Well, I hope he’s busy at the moment and I will obviously speak with him and, in football, you never know.”

Sounds like someone interested in a move to us. Both Celtic and Rangers have been linked.

Keepers make good cult heroes and Room is the first of three we’ve picked in our top 10.

You wouldn’t have predicted that when he let in seven goals in Curacao’s opener against Germany, but in their next game against Ecuador, he made the most saves of any

match in 90 minutes with 15.

In doing so, the 37-year-old helped the minnows earn their only

point.

Hassan was an unused sub throughout the whole group stage for

Egypt

, but sprang into life in the knockout stage.

After debuting in the round of 32 against Australia, it was in the round of 16 against

that he really made a name for himself.

Hassan’s mesmerising run to help set up what

thought was their second goal, before it was ruled out, showcased his dazzling skills.

The winger was then able to set up an actual goal for Mostafa Ziko, before

fell to an Argentine comeback.

Don’t be too surprised if Hassan is on the move this summer, especially after his club

Real Oviedo

got relegated from La Liga.

Gill only made his debut for

Paraguay

in September, but fast forward to the

and he was ever-present.

His two saves in the penalty shootout against Germany made him a hero. He wasn’t too shabby in the next round against France either, despite being on the losing side.

Paraguay lost some of the admirers they’d gained with their Germany win after

some of their antics against France

. But now the dust has settled, it’s hard not to be sympathetic to Gill.

Sat on the bench in the group stage. Sat on the bench in the round of 32. Came on against

Mexico

and headed

everything

A cult hero by definition is an outsider, an unheralded name who deserves appreciation for the part they play.

England had better players in their squad than Burn, and players who had more of an impact at the

, but for someone whose inclusion in the travelling party was initially questioned, the Newcastle defender became someone

England

supporters could get behind.

Just a shame his transition into an emergency striker against

in the semi-final didn’t lead to anything.

Argentina didn’t know what had hit them.

Cape Verde’s unlikely

dream was kept alive by Cabral’s wonder goal in extra time of their round of 32 clash, threatening the upset of all upsets.

They couldn’t quite hold on, but Cabral’s goal made sure they went out with a bang.

The left-back started three of Cape Verde’s four

matches (he was suspended for the one he didn’t) and is now ready to start a new chapter in his club career with Trabzonspor.

It’s been a

where most of the big names have shown up in front of goal. The top scorers chart is led by the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland. No major shocks there.

But Quinones was one of the outsiders who forced his way into the scoring charts. His four goals before Mexico’s exit were one more than, say, Cristiano Ronaldo got.

Winner of the Saudi Pro League golden boot last season, the Al-Qadsiah forward has never played in Europe. We wonder if that might change soon on the back of his

exploits.

This year’s textbook example of a breakout star set to earn a big move off the back of his

performances.

Manzambi shone for

Switzerland

in the group stage with a brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina and then a goal and assist against Canada, before an assist in the round of 32.

Is it a coincidence that

ran out of steam once Manzambi became unavailable beyond then? Maybe not.

The midfielder was linked heavily with Newcastle but is now on course to join Aston Villa after a good old-fashioned transfer hijack.

There was only going to be one man at #1.

Unexpected stars don’t come much bigger than

Vozinha

. Playing in his (and his country’s) first

at the age of 40, the Cape Verdean goalkeeper became a fan favourite.

Keeping a clean sheet against Spain on his debut was monumental. Since then, in a sign of him winning over the wider

audience, his Instagram following has grown from about 50,000 to nearly 30 million.

Cape Verde’s journey ended in the round of 32, but not after

made another eight saves against

Goalkeeper of the tournament?

He’s even had a species of sea slug named after him, as you do. If that’s not cult hero, we’re not sure what is.

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