International tournaments tend to compress form, nerve, and detail into a month where one performance can tilt a bracket. As the next World Cup nears, a handful of club-season risers are reshaping their national teams’ ceilings.
Spain have Mikel Merino, now sharper and more vertical since his Arsenal move. England lean on Declan Rice, the all-phase stabiliser. France add Michael Olise, a right-sided spark with end product. Norway ride Erling Haaland’s inevitability. Belgium rediscover Kevin De Bruyne’s orchestration. This feature tracks how their current rhythms translate to tournament solutions, control, carry, finish and pass, and why these five could define the summer.
The Form That Shapes a World Cup
The next World Cup will reward teams who carry club-season rhythm into the summer. A few stars are not just playing well; they are redefining how their national sides function. From midfield controllers to wide match-winners and a centre-forward who bends qualification to his will, these are the players whose current form can tilt a tournament.
Mikel Merino can unlock Spain at the World Cup
Merino’s rise has been steady, then sudden. Since the Spaniard’s move to Arsenal, his game has sharpened in ways that fit Spain perfectly. The tempo is cleaner. The off-ball work rate is higher. And the late runs into the box, always a part of his toolkit, now arrive with better timing and end product.
Spain do not lack technicians, but they have needed a midfielder who can change the picture with one stride or one touch under pressure. Merino offers that blend of press resistance and vertical punch, dovetailing neatly with a controller like Rodri and a link player like Pedri. We saw the clutch gene at Euro 2024; this version adds extra gears. If Spain are to go deep at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Merino’s ability to tilt tight games from midfield could be the catalyst.
Declan Rice is England’s balance point
Call him England’s most important all-phase player. Rice protects transitions, sets the tempo, and connects attack to defense without fuss. In possession, he is the outlet under pressure, switching play or stepping through the first line to move England 20 yards upfield. Out of possession, he tidies chaos, winning second balls, covering full-backs, and closing counters before they start.
England’s talent is stacked higher up, but that front line only sings when the base is stable. Rice is the glue that lets the rest be glamorous. His leadership, range of passing, and ability to read danger make him irreplaceable. If England are to manage the World Cup’s mood swings, Rice’s calm and control will be their compass.
Michael Olise gives France a winning wrinkle going into the World Cup
At Bayern Munich, Olise has taken the next step: cleaner decision-making, smarter movement, and end-product that arrives on time. He can hold width to stretch a back line, drift inside to link with a No. 10, or attack the half-space and finish with whip and disguise. The pressing output has climbed too, which matters for tournament football.
For France, he is the trump card because he changes how opponents defend Kylian Mbappe. Station Olise on the right and back fours cannot simply tilt to Mbappe’s side. Start him or unleash him on 60 minutes; either way, he adds a new route to goal without breaking France’s structure. In a knockout, one well-timed carry or set-piece from Olise can flip a match.
Erling Haaland bends the bracket for Norway
Some strikers score; Erling Haaland sets the terms. Norway’s path to the World Cup has been powered by his relentlessness, running channels, crushing set pieces, and finishing half-chances like they are tap-ins. The timing is ideal: his club form has clicked into that familiar surge, and the international goals have followed.
For Norway, the plan is simple but no easier to stop: defend with discipline, break with speed, and make sure the final action finds Haaland early. With his movement dragging center-backs into uncomfortable spots, even Norway’s second waves look dangerous. In tournament football, where margins are thin, a striker who guarantees shots is a competitive edge on its own.
Kevin De Bruyne’s last dance energy at the World Cup with Belgium
After the injury setbacks, De Bruyne’s resurgence feels like a veteran masterpiece. The acceleration is back, the disguised through-balls are back, and the deliveries from the right half-space remain a cheat code. At club level his minutes have been managed smartly, and the freshness shows in sharper choices around the box.
For Belgium, this sets up a compelling “last dance” arc. With runners like Jeremy Doku wide and Lukaku between the posts, De Bruyne’s passing angles multiply. He doesn’t need volume to dominate, just moments. A single split pass, a cut-back nobody else sees, a set-piece that lands on a sixpence. If Belgium are to punch above expectations at the World Cup, it will be through De Bruyne’s economy of brilliance.
Conclusion
World Cups are often decided by players who turn pressure into patterns. The thread linking Spain, England, France, Norway and Belgium is that each now has a star whose club form scales neatly to international demands.
Mikel Merino adds vertical punch to Spain’s technical core, bringing the late run or line-breaking pass that shifts a stalemate. Declan Rice is England’s balance point, cleaning transitions, setting tempo and giving creators a stable platform.
Michael Olise offers France a fresh angle: width when they need to stretch, incision when they need to pierce, with end product arriving on time. Erling Haaland gives Norway guaranteed shots, turning slim openings into real threats.
Kevin De Bruyne restores Belgium’s cutting edge with moments of economical brilliance. Beyond roles, they solve tournament problems: managing momentum swings, surviving imperfect games and deciding tight knockout ties.
Each can win a World Cup match in a different way, by control, by carry, by finish, by pass, which spreads risk and opens multiple paths to victory. Their current rhythms matter because form travels as timing, decisions and repeatable habits. If fitness holds and the supporting casts do their jobs, these five raise their nations’ floors and ceilings alike. In a month of thin margins, reliability and spark beat novelty. That is why their form is not just a storyline; it is the foundation, and it could tip the tournament.
