Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar has made his pick for the FIFA World Cup ahead of the opening day. The Dutchman has named a legendary winner and the nation that will surprise fans the most.
Speaking to ESPN, the legendary goalkeeper was asked to name his pick for the awards at this summer’s FIFA World Cup. He went for Harry Kane for the Golden Boot, and the Englishman has a great chance of winning it.
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The Bayern Munich star has been in stunning form this season, scoring 61 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions for the German club. He will be leading the attack for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
The Golden Ball was the next question for the Manchester United legend, and he swiftly picked Lamine Yamal. The Spaniard is making his debut at the FIFA World Cup this summer and has already shown his talent, helping them win the EUROs in 2024.
Curacao have a population of just 156,000 but are making their debut at the FIFA World Cup this summer. They are now the smallest nation to qualify for the finals, and Van der Sar believes they will be the surprise package of the tournament.
They will be facing Germany, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador in the group stage. Tahith Chong, Leandro Bacuna and Juninho Bacuna will be the ones to watch out for from the team.
Florian Wirtz was in sub-par form for Liverpool this season and didn’t score his first goal for the Reds until December 2025. However, he is a different player for the German side, and Van der Sar believes he will be the breakout star of the World Cup 2026.
The final question was to pick the tournament winners, and the Dutchman went straight with Brazil.
FIFA World Cup 2026 set to start this week
Mexico take on South Africa in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup this month. The two sides also met in the 2010 opener, and now face off at the Mexico City Stadium.
The tournament is being held across 16 cities in three countries for the first time in history. The United States have 11 cities hosting the matches, while two in Canada and three in Mexico are also hosting.
All the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final will be held in the United States. The final takes place on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium.
Edited by Sripad