The World Cup 2026 final is edging closer, and whichever two teams take the pitch, one story keeps repeating itself. Anyone comparing the Spain Argentina odds in the build-up will have noticed how many of the tournament’s most talked-about names spend their club season in the Bundesliga.
Olise leads the Golden Ball chase
The Bayern Munich winger was named Man of the Match on his World Cup debut, helping France beat Senegal 3-1 while covering more distance and completing more sprints than anyone else on the pitch. He has topped the tournament’s assist charts since the group stage, with five in total and four to his name inside the first three matches, and has been talked up as a genuine Golden Ball contender. France’s run ended in the semi-final, but Olise’s numbers say plenty about the level Bayern have added to their attack.
Kane closes in on World Cup history
Harry Kane has kept adding to his legend in Bayern colours. Six goals in this tournament alone have pushed his career World Cup total to 14, a stretch that carried him past Gary Lineker’s long-standing England record of 10 and then Pele’s mark of 12 inside the space of a few matches.
His quietest game arrived in the quarter-final win over Norway, when Jude Bellingham took the headlines with both goals in extra time, but Kane’s tally still leaves him just two behind Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe’s tournament high of eight in the race for the Golden Boot.
Manzambi’s record-breaking cameo
Johan Manzambi’s World Cup ended early, but not before he wrote himself into the record books. The Freiburg midfielder, on international duty with Switzerland, became the youngest Swiss player to score a brace at a World Cup when he struck twice off the bench against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A goal, an assist and a Man of the Match award followed against hosts Canada, then another assist in the round of 32 against Algeria made him the youngest player in six decades to reach five goal involvements at a single tournament. A training injury before the round of 16 ended his run, with Switzerland eventually beaten by Argentina in the quarter-final.
Stuttgart and Dortmund fly the flag
Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav and Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha have flown the Bundesliga flag for Germany itself, although they were eliminated by Paraguay in the Round of 32. Undav scored three goals and set up two more in the group stage, including a stoppage-time winner against Ivory Coast built from a Nmecha pass moments earlier.
Dortmund team-mate Marcel Sabitzer has done his bit for Austria too, contributing a goal and an assist as they reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 44 years.
Bayern’s Luis Diaz did his own bit for Colombia, scoring and assisting in their opening win as they finished top of a group that also contained Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo.
One league, one tournament
Whatever the scoreline on Sunday, the pattern this summer is hard to miss. Between Bayern’s front line, Freiburg’s teenage sensation and Dortmund’s midfield pairing, the Bundesliga has left its mark on this World Cup as much as any single nation involved. Whatever the outcome of the betting odds on Sunday, German football’s top flight has already had a tournament to remember.
