The 10 Best Wingers in the World in 2026, Ranked
The Bundesliga's player of the season, the Champions League's player of the season and La Liga's player of the season. The ten best wingers in the world right now, with the numbers behind each one.
The best winger in the world in 2026 is Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, the Bundesliga's Player of the Season and the man who broke Pelé's World Cup assists record, with PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal next. Below is the full top ten, with a stat line for each player from the 2025-26 season.
How the list is ranked
Three things, in this order:
- The 2025-26 club season. League goals and assists, availability, the trophies the player's team won, and the end-of-season awards that judge individual players: UEFA's Champions League Player and Team of the Season, the league player-of-the-season awards, the PFA Team of the Year and the UNFP awards in France.
- The 2026 World Cup. It is the most recent evidence there is, so it counts. Players whose countries did not qualify are not marked down for that alone.
- Goals and assists over the whole season, to separate close cases.
Only players who mainly played on a wing in 2025-26 are eligible. Reputation and transfer value are not criteria. Stat lines are for 2025-26.
The top ten at a glance
| Rank | Player | Club in 2025-26 | Age | League apps (goals) | League assists | All comps apps (goals) | Major honours 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Olise | Bayern Munich | 24 | 32 (15) | 19 | 52 (22) | Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal |
| 2 | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | PSG | 25 | 28 (8) | 4 | 48 (19) | Champions League, Ligue 1 |
| 3 | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | 19 | 28 (16) | 12 | 45 (24) | La Liga, World Cup |
| 4 | Luis Díaz | Bayern Munich | 29 | 32 (15) | 14 | 51 (26) | Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal |
| 5 | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid | 26 | 36 (16) | 5 | 53 (22) | — |
| 6 | Raphinha | Barcelona | 29 | 22 (13) | 3 | 33 (21) | La Liga, Supercopa |
| 7 | Antoine Semenyo | Bournemouth, Man City | 26 | 37 (17) | 4 | 48 (21) | FA Cup, League Cup |
| 8 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 25 | 31 (7) | — | 49 (11) | Premier League |
| 9 | Désiré Doué | PSG | 21 | 23 (7) | — | 41 (13) | Champions League, Ligue 1 |
| 10 | Bradley Barcola | PSG | 24 | 29 (11) | 1 | 49 (13) | Champions League, Ligue 1 |
Ages are as of 8 October 2026. A dash in the assists column means the main data sources disagree on the number, so it is left out rather than guessed.
1. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)
2025-26: 32 Bundesliga appearances, 15 goals, 19 assists; 52 appearances, 22 goals in all competitions.
Nineteen league assists is the number that sets Olise apart. Add 15 goals and he was directly involved in 34 Bundesliga goals in 32 games, and the league named him its Player of the Season on 16 May. He was also one of two Bayern players in UEFA's Champions League Team of the Season, even though Bayern went out to PSG in the semi-finals.
Bayern won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, beating Stuttgart 3-0 in the final on 23 May with Olise setting up Harry Kane's opener.
Then came the World Cup. Olise did not score, but he made seven assists, a record for a single tournament, passing the six Pelé made in 1970. The record-breaking seventh came in the third-place match against England, a 6-4 defeat in which he set up both of Kylian Mbappé's goals. France finished fourth, and Olise was in the World Cup best XI chosen by FIFA's fan vote.
2. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG, Georgia)
2025-26: 28 Ligue 1 appearances, 8 goals, 4 assists; 48 appearances, 19 goals in all competitions.
His league numbers are modest for a player this high. His European numbers are not: 10 goals and six assists in 16 Champions League games, and UEFA named him the competition's Player of the Season. The panel singled out his two goals in PSG's 5-4 semi-final first-leg win over Bayern on 28 April.
PSG won almost everything. They took Ligue 1, and in the Champions League final against Arsenal on 30 May he won the penalty Dembélé scored to make it 1-1 and hit the post before being replaced late on. PSG won the shootout 4-3. They also won the UEFA Super Cup, the Trophée des Champions and the Intercontinental Cup, in which Kvaratskhelia scored against Flamengo.
He was not at the World Cup: Georgia finished third in their qualifying group behind Spain and Turkey.
3. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
2025-26: 28 La Liga appearances, 16 goals, 12 assists; 45 appearances, 24 goals in all competitions.
La Liga named Yamal its Player of the Season after Barcelona retained the title with 94 points, and his 24 goals made him the club's top scorer. They also beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Supercopa final in January.
Two things keep him from the top spot. A groin problem cost him games in the autumn, and a left hamstring injury, suffered as he scored a penalty against Celta Vigo on 22 April, ended his club season. And his World Cup, though it ended in a winner's medal, was quieter in output than Olise's: one goal, against Saudi Arabia, and no assists. He started seven of his eight games, including the final, where he played all 120 minutes of the 1-0 win over Argentina, and he completed more dribbles than anyone at the tournament.
He is 19, already has two Kopa Trophies, and is on the Ballon d'Or shortlist again.
4. Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich, Colombia)
2025-26: 32 Bundesliga appearances, 15 goals, 14 assists; 51 appearances, 26 goals in all competitions.
In his first season at Bayern, Díaz scored more goals than Olise in all competitions, 26 to 22, and seven of them came in the Champions League, alongside three assists, according to the Bundesliga. He scored on his competitive debut, heading the winner against Stuttgart in the Super Cup in August 2025, and set up Kane's 80th-minute goal in the Pokal final. He was in the Bundesliga's official Team of the Season, but not in UEFA's.
At the World Cup he scored and assisted in Colombia's 3-1 opener against Uzbekistan. Colombia went out in the round of 16, beaten 4-3 on penalties by Switzerland after a 0-0 draw on 7 July. Díaz scored his kick.
5. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid, Brazil)
2025-26: 36 La Liga appearances, 16 goals, 5 assists; 53 appearances, 22 goals in all competitions.
Vinícius played more games than anyone on this list. The problem was the team: Real Madrid finished second on 86 points, eight behind Barcelona, lost the Supercopa final and went out to Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals. It was their first season without a trophy since 2020-21.
He started the World Cup well, scoring in all three of Brazil's group games for four goals. Brazil then lost 2-1 to Norway in the round of 16 on 5 July, and Vinícius apologised to supporters afterwards.
6. Raphinha (Barcelona, Brazil)
2025-26: 22 La Liga appearances, 13 goals, 3 assists; 33 appearances, 21 goals in all competitions.
Twenty-one goals in 33 games is the best scoring rate on the list, and four of them came in the Supercopa, including two in the final against Real Madrid. What drops him is availability. Hamstring injuries kept him out for long spells, and at the World Cup a right thigh injury in Brazil's second match, against Haiti, ended his tournament.
7. Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth and Manchester City, Ghana)
2025-26: 37 Premier League appearances, 17 goals, 4 assists; 48 appearances, 21 goals in all competitions.
Semenyo scored 10 league goals in 20 games for Bournemouth before Manchester City signed him on 9 January 2026 for an initial £62.5m. He added seven more for City, won the Premier League Player of the Month award for February, started the 2-0 League Cup final win over Arsenal and scored the only goal of the FA Cup final against Chelsea on 16 May. The players voted him into the PFA Team of the Year.
At the World Cup he started all four of Ghana's games without scoring, and Ghana went out to Colombia in the round of 32.
8. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, England)
2025-26: 31 Premier League appearances, 7 goals; 49 appearances, 11 goals in all competitions.
Seven league goals is a low return for Saka, and injuries explain much of it: a hamstring problem in August, a hip problem in February and an Achilles injury from the March international break. Arsenal still won the Premier League.
The World Cup is what keeps him in the top ten. He made three assists, was an unused substitute in the 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina, and then scored a hat-trick in the 6-4 win over France that gave England third place.
9. Désiré Doué (PSG, France)
2025-26: 23 Ligue 1 appearances, 7 goals; 41 appearances, 13 goals in all competitions.
Doué lost much of the autumn to a calf strain and then a severe thigh tear at Lorient on 29 October, but still scored five Champions League goals. He started the final and scored PSG's second penalty in the shootout. Ligue 1's players named him Young Player of the Year, and at the World Cup he scored France's fourth goal in a 4-1 win over Norway.
10. Bradley Barcola (PSG, France)
2025-26: 29 Ligue 1 appearances, 11 goals, 1 assist; 49 appearances, 13 goals in all competitions.
The third PSG winger here scored more league goals than the other two, despite an ankle injury in March, and came off the bench in the Champions League final. At the World Cup he scored three times, against Senegal, Sweden and England, and set up Doué's goal against Norway. On 31 August 2026 he joined Liverpool for a fee reported at more than £100m.
Close calls and notable absences
Ousmane Dembélé won the UNFP Player of the Year award again and scored six times at the World Cup, but in 2025-26 he led PSG's line rather than playing wide: UEFA's Team of the Season placed him up front beside Kane, and he played centrally in the Champions League final. Our guide to types of striker is where he belongs this year.
Mohamed Salah had a difficult final season at Liverpool: 7 league goals in 27 appearances, and a public falling-out with Arne Slot in December after being left on the bench. He left in the summer and joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer.
Jérémy Doku won both domestic cups with Manchester City but scored five league goals, and went without a goal at the World Cup, where Belgium lost to Spain in the quarter-finals.
Nico Williams made only 25 league appearances for Athletic Club, who finished 12th, as a groin problem disrupted his season. He came off the bench in the World Cup final and headed Pedro Porro's cross into the path of Ferran Torres for the winning goal.
What the list says about the position
Five of the ten, Olise, Kvaratskhelia, Yamal, Díaz and Vinícius, are on the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist for the ceremony in London on 26 October. The 4-3-3 formation guide explains how wingers fit into a front three, and the guide to full-backs, wing-backs and inverted full-backs covers the players who overlap outside them.
For the defenders they run at, see the best right-backs in the world in 2026 and the best centre-backs in the world in 2026. The Champions League format explains the competition PSG won for the second year running.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best winger in the world in 2026?
On the 2025-26 season and the 2026 World Cup, Bayern Munich's Michael Olise. He scored 15 goals and made 19 assists in the Bundesliga, was named the league's Player of the Season, won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, and set a World Cup record with seven assists for France.
Who was the Champions League Player of the Season in 2025-26?
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of PSG. UEFA's panel gave him the award after PSG retained the trophy, beating Arsenal on penalties in the final. He scored 10 goals and made six assists in 16 Champions League games.
Who has the most assists in a single World Cup?
Michael Olise, with seven at the 2026 World Cup. He passed Pelé's six from 1970 in the third-place match against England, where he set up both of Kylian Mbappé's goals.
Was Lamine Yamal the best player in La Liga in 2025-26?
La Liga thought so. Lamine Yamal was named the LALIGA EA Sports Player of the Season for 2025-26 after 16 goals and 12 assists for a Barcelona side that retained the title with 94 points. He then started the World Cup final for Spain, who beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time.
Why is Ousmane Dembélé not on this list?
Because in 2025-26 he led PSG's line rather than playing on a wing. UEFA's Champions League Team of the Season placed him up front beside Harry Kane, so he is judged as a forward here, not as a winger.
Why is Mohamed Salah not in the top ten?
His final season at Liverpool was a difficult one: 7 Premier League goals in 27 appearances, a public falling-out with Arne Slot in December 2025, and no trophy. He left at the end of the season and joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer in August 2026.
