The World Cup puts stars under pressure.

Fears related to physical condition and readiness loom over some of the biggest stars in football, just two weeks before the start of the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, featuring 48 teams for the first time in the history of the finals.

Agence France-Presse highlights five of these stars who will bear the burden of their countries' hopes:

Mbappé could become the all-time World Cup top scorer in the coming weeks, but he will cross the Atlantic after a turbulent period with his Spanish team, Real Madrid.

The 27-year-old has not won any major titles in two seasons with the Spanish giant, despite his prolific scoring record.

Questions have been raised about Mbappé's commitment after he took a holiday while sidelined from his team due to a hamstring injury before the end of the season.

A change of atmosphere with the national team may be exactly what he needs as he seeks to write more history on the global stage.

Mbappé stole the spotlight as a teenager by scoring four goals in France's journey to the 2018 World Cup title, before adding eight more, including a hat-trick in the final, when the "Les Bleus" lost on penalties to Argentina four years ago in Qatar 2022.

Mbappé needs four goals to equal the German Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals in World Cups.

Haaland finally got his first chance to participate in a major international tournament after Norway ended a 28-year wait to qualify for the World Cup.

The Manchester City striker scored 16 goals in eight matches during a perfect qualifying campaign, which included two crushing victories over Italy, 3-0 and 4-1.

This brought his tally to 55 goals in 49 international matches.

Haaland is the face of a golden generation of Norwegian players, including Arsenal's English champion Martin Ødegaard, which enhances the possibility of the Scandinavian team playing the role of a dark horse.

However, Norway will need their star at his best after being drawn into a tough Group Nine that includes France, Senegal, and Iraq.

Neymar's return to the Brazil squad has ignited excitement among the five-time world champions, but Vinícius's performance is likely to determine whether coach Carlo Ancelotti's men will secure a sixth star on the famous yellow jersey.