"World Cup 2026" promises to renew the stars.

As always in every edition, there are big stars that the world eagerly awaits during the World Cup, such as the Spaniard Lamine Yamal, the Argentine Lionel Messi, the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, the French Kylian Mbappé, and the Brazilian Vinicius Junior, but there is also anticipation to see who will emerge from the shadows of these players during the 2026 finals.

Below are five candidates to step out from the shadows of traditional greats in the FIFA World Cup taking place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The son of former Argentine international Pablo Ays has chosen to represent the world champions, despite being born and raised in Spain.

Ays has emerged as a rising talent in Real Madrid's academy, before his performance improved over two years of working under the Spanish Cesc Fabregas since his move to Como in Italy.

Real Madrid is expected to activate the buy-back clause in the contract of the 21-year-old player, whose technical abilities and goals from outside the box have caught the attention of other major European clubs.

Ays may be tasked with the challenging role of compensating for Lionel Messi, with expectations that Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni will limit the minutes of the 38-year-old star during the title defense campaign.

He has previously shone on the biggest stages of club football, having won the Man of the Match award and scored two goals in Paris Saint-Germain's overwhelming 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in last year's Champions League final.

However, this will be the 20-year-old's first participation in a major international tournament.

Ays is fighting for a starting position in the "Les Bleus" lineup amid an abundance of attacking talent that includes Mbappé, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, and Bayern Munich star Mikael Olise.

But Ays has presented his credentials to coach Didier Deschamps at the right time, opening his international scoring account with a brace in a friendly win over Colombia 3-1 last March, in the national team's last appearance.

O'Reilly (21 years old) has earned the trust of his coach, Spanish Pep Guardiola, to become a key player in Manchester City's lineup, scoring two goals from the left-back position (having started his career as a midfielder) in his team's victory over Arsenal in the League Cup final in March.

Guardiola has utilized O'Reilly's mix of height, speed, and skill as an attacking weapon coming from the back, a move welcomed by German coach Thomas Tuchel of the England national team.