With 10 teams from the Middle East and North Africa taking part in this year's FIFA World Cup , fans are highly anticipating watching seasoned players and newcomers from the region display their talent at the world's biggest sporting tournament. The New Arab highlights the stars to watch out for Arda Guler (Turkey) Real Madrid wonderkid Arda Guler is the name on many fans' lips due to his recent breakout performances with the Spanish giants this season.
Guler, who at 18 signed with the club in 2023 from Istanbul's Fenerbahce , did not play as much as he might have liked due to the star-filled Madrid squad.
But this season, under then-manager Xabi Alonso, Guler featured more frequently for Madrid, displaying quality performances which earned him the UEFA Champions League’s Young Player of the Season and the La Liga's Goal of the Season awards.
Guler also impressed in June 2024 with Turkey at the European Championships , delivering key performances which helped his national side reach the quarterfinals—their second-best performance since 2008. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) Hakimi , who recently won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, is going into the World Cup as the most successful African footballer of all time, with 19 trophies to his name.
The captain, who plays at right-back, is often regarded as one of the best at his position in the world and finished sixth in the prestigious Ballon d'Or rankings last year .
Hakimi will be keen to guide his country to another successful World Cup and emulate the success of 2022, when Morocco became the first Arab and African team to reach the semifinals of the football tournament. Mo Salah (Egypt) The legendary Mo Salah is widely hailed as Egypt’s national hero and the country's most successful sports export.
The Egyptian King, who this summer has called an end to his time with Liverpool after nine seasons, has a number of records under his belt. He is the Premier League's top foreign scorer, the player with the most Golden Boot awards (tied with Thierry Henry), has more assists than anyone else for Liverpool, and more goal involvements for one club in Premier League history.
Salah will look to score and help Egypt win its first-ever game at a World Cup, after having failed to do so at previous appearances, and possibly break coach Hossam Hassan's record as Egypt's all-time goal scorer. Mehdi Taremi (Iran) A late bloomer, 33-year-old Taremi has played in several European leagues, rising first to prominence with Portuguese side Rio Ave in 2019, where he was the Primeira Liga's top scorer for that season. He then moved to Porto, winning domestic trophies and scoring a myriad of goals before a short spell at Inter Milan, with whom he reached the 2025 Champions League final. The seasoned player now plays for Greek giants Olympiacos.
The recently-appointed captain , and arguably the team's most high-profile star who has spoken against the Iranian government's crackdown on protesters late last year, is entering the tournament as his country's all-time scorer at the World Cup, his most recent being against England four years ago. Omar Marmoush (Egypt) Marmoush is among Egypt's high-profile players going into the tournament, alongside Salah. The Manchester City striker might not feature as regularly as Norwegian powerhouse Erling Haaland for his club, but the Egyptian proved clinical during Manchester City's FA Cup and Carabao Cup runs this season and has had a series of excellent performances at his former club, Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Egyptian could've featured for another red and white team, as he holds Canadian citizenship through his parents. Ultimately, Marmoush chose Egypt and hasn't looked back since. Salem Al-Dawsari (Saudi Arabia) The Saudi number 10 is heralded as his country's answer to Lionel Messi. The highly decorated player scored his country’s surprise goal against Argentina in Qatar 2022 and went viral for his iconic backflip celebration.
The Saudi continues to shine with Al-Hilal, despite some inconsistencies with the national team in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Al-Dawsari will seek to become Saudi Arabia's all-time top scorer at the World Cup for his country, with three goals under his belt, tied with Sami al-Jaber. Ali Olwan (Jordan) Ali Olwan is one of Jordan's biggest weapons on the pitch and has netted nine goals during the country's long and strenuous qualifying campaign.
In a qualification game against Oman, Olwan scored his second-ever international hat-trick, putting him among the Arab stars to watch at the World Cup.
Olwan also impressed during Jordan's run at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup and will look to impress in North America this year. Kenan Yildiz (Turkey) The Turkish youngster will hope to live up to his name at the World Cup, after an impressive performance with Juventus this season.
The 21-year-old has been in form this season with the Italian club, scoring crucial goals and even captaining his side against Hellas Verona in September.
Yildiz, which means star in Turkish, has been compared to Juventus' iconic striker, Alessandro Del Piero, whose celebration he imitates after scoring a goal.
While Juventus might have had a disappointing season, Yildiz was named Serie A's Rising Star for 2025-2026 and could feature among the tournament's breakout players depending on how far Turkey can go. Ali Al-Hamadi (Iraq) Iraqi star Ali Al-Hamadi is the first from his country to play in the English Premier League. The Liverpool-raised striker worked his way up with several lower-league English teams before signing with Ipswich Town in 2024.
Featuring for the national team since 2021, Al-Hamadi scored a vital goal for Iraq in the intercontinental play-offs against Bolivia to send his country to their first World Cup in 40 years. Brahim Diaz (Morocco) Diaz was the breakout star of last winter's Africa Cup of Nations, becoming the first Moroccan to score in five consecutive games at an AFCON competition, finishing as top scorer and tournament winner (albeit controversially). Diaz was also talked about for the wrong reasons , as he missed his panenka penalty in the final against Senegal, which provoked the players and coaches to leave the pitch after it was awarded.
The Real Madrid player's breakthrough came in 2024 after switching allegiance to Morocco from Spain, which gave him the opportunity to display his skills on the pitch, and he quickly became a fan favourite. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) Algerian talisman Mahrez will be determined to lead his country beyond the group stage in this year's World Cup, despite stiff competition from Argentina and Austria in Group J.
Regarded as one of the best players to grace the Premier League over the past decade, the 35-year-old will be keen to leave his mark on international football with Algeria at this year’s finals.
Mahrez, who now plays for Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli, has won the Premier League multiple times with Leicester City and Manchester City, as well as the FA Cup and a Champions League title. Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Iran) Jahanbakh is a familiar face to English football fans, as he played for Brighton & Hove Albion for three seasons between 2018 and 2021. During his stint, he was awarded Goal of the Month in January 2020 and became infamous for an on-field altercation with Manchester City defender Kyle Walker.
The Iranian has spent most of his playing career outside of Iran, mostly in the Dutch league with AZ Alkmaar, Feyenoord, NEC Nijmegen, and SC Heerenveen, and was known for his pace and long-range goals.
Jahanbakhsh now plays for Belgian outfit Dender and will surpass the 100 caps for Iran should he feature in at least two out of Iran's three group stage games. Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia) Mejbri is Tunisian football's biggest name at the moment, playing for now-relegated Burnley, and having come through the ranks with Manchester United during his youth-playing career,
The French-born playmaker is a fan favourite and known for his outspoken nature and maturity, and drew comparisons with David Beckham and Roy Keane in his junior career due to his leadership skills.
Though only 23 years old, Mejbri is among Tunisia's most experienced players, having already earned 45 caps. Musa Al-Tamari (Jordan) Al-Tamari proved instrumental to Jordan's journey to the World Cup, scoring seven goals in the run-up and being an anchor for the team. The Jordanian has been on the European scene since 2018, playing mostly in the Belgian and French leagues, and is currently at Rennes.
His most high-profile international performance came in 2023, when he led Jordan to the AFC Asian Cup final, scoring vital goals in the semifinal. Akram Afif (Qatar) Afif is Qatar's biggest football star, a dazzling winger and instrumental in his country's rise over the years.
Twice named Asian Footballer of the Year, Afif is Qatar’s hope for a decent World Cup run after their disappointment four years ago.
The winger, who plays for Doha-based Al Sadd, has been vital in past competitions for his country, notably at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, where he provided 10 assists.