2026 FC 100: Kane, Yamal, Messi among best men's soccer players
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- Paris Saint-Germain led all clubs with 13 players on the FC 100 after winning back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles, with France's run to the World Cup semifinals also contributing to the haul
- Arsenal placed 10 players on the list after winning their first Premier League title in over two decades, ranging from goalkeeper David Raya to forward Kai Havertz, with Manchester City rounding out the top three at 9 players
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) and Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) became the only two players to appear on every edition of the FC 100 since its launch 10 years ago
- France led all nations with 14 players on the list, ahead of Spain and England (both with 12), with 30 countries represented overall from France down to single representatives from Mexico, Hungary, Senegal and Uruguay
- The Premier League supplied 38 players to the ranking, well ahead of LaLiga's 21 nominees and Ligue 1's 14, reinforcing England's top tier as the dominant talent pool
- 32 of the 100 players are first-time nominees, with the ranker explicitly designed to reward breakthrough talent at less-glamorous positions rather than overweighting forwards and attacking midfielders
- Spain claimed a second-ever FIFA World Cup by beating Argentina in the final this summer, one of three headline 2025-26 achievements that shaped the list alongside Arsenal's league crown and PSG's European repeat
Why it matters: PSG's 13-player haul — three more than runner-up Arsenal — quantifies how thoroughly their squad depth carried a second consecutive Champions League run, while the 32 first-time nominees show ESPN's position-based structure is actively accelerating turnover at the top of the sport's talent hierarchy.
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