Is Alphonso Davies Overrated? World Cup Group B Best Player Rankings

48 nations are ready for the World Cup, but are you?

We have made it to World Cup week, and in a few short days, three nations will kick off the largest edition of the most famed sports tournament in the world.

While Mexico will get the party started on Thursday versus South Africa, Canada will follow up on Friday with their own celebratory opening against Bosnia & Herzegovina in Toronto.

Group B is one of the most open in the entire tournament, also including Qatar and Switzerland, so which players will be dictating who comes out on top?

Here are my top three players in Group B going into the World Cup.

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3. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland, Freiburg)

The future of the Swiss, Manzambi is a special talent that is only getting better by the day. Although he can still be incredibly inconsistent at times and show his inexperience, at 20, the sky is the limit for the youngster. If Manzambi plays up to his potential and has a strong World Cup, Switzerland is almost certainly playing in the knockout rounds, and most likely Round of 16.

2. Granit Xhaka (Switzerland, Sunderland)

We go from the future of the Swiss team to the past and present of the squad in their captain, Granit Xhaka. He is the personification of Switzerland: sturdy, dependable, and precise. While other teams are coming into the tournament not knowing their identity, Xhaka has Switzerland knowing who they are and how to play their game properly.

1. Alphonso Davies (Canada, Bayern Munich)

In terms of pure talent, no one in Group B is close to Davies, even Manzambi. Davies is a special player. A few years ago, he looked like he might turn into not only one of the best backs in the world, but simply one of the best players in the game. Injuries have severely slowed Davies down, and even now there are questions on whether if he will be ready for the World Cup.

Make no mistake, though, Davies is not overrated. At his best, he can still turn a decent Canada squad into a side that can shock the top teams of the tournament.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 8:48 PM.