Best Right Wingers in the World 2026 – Top 10 Rank

This article was fully updated in October 2026, taking into account the results of the 2025/26 season, the 2026 World Cup, summer transfers and the players’ current form.

Who is the best right winger in the world in 2026? Our pick is Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona star scored 24 goals and provided 17 assists in 2025/26, was named La Liga Player of the Season and won the World Cup with Spain, completing more dribbles than any other player at the tournament. In our ranking of the best right wingers in the world right now, we look at the players who decide games from the right flank with goals, assists, dribbling and big-game impact.

Top 5 right wingers in the world right now:

1. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain) – World Cup winner, La Liga Player of the Season
2. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France) – 22 goals and 26 assists, record 7 World Cup assists
3. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, England) – Premier League champion, World Cup hat-trick
4. Désiré Doué (PSG, France) – Champions League winner, UEFA Super Cup match-winner
5. Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United, Cameroon) – 4 goals in his first 7 Premier League games of 2026/27

Other rankings by tips.gg:

• The 10 Best Right-Backs in the World – 2026 Rank
• The Best Midfielders in the World 2026 – Top 10 Rank

How We Ranked the Best Right Wingers in the World

The right winger (RW) has changed more than almost any other position in football. Most of today’s best right wingers are left-footed: instead of running to the byline and crossing, they cut inside to shoot or play a killer pass. They are expected to score like strikers, create like playmakers and press from the front. That is why our ranking of the best RW in the world does not rely on a single number.

Criteria	Description
Goals and Assists	Direct goal contributions across all competitions in 2025/26
Dribbling and Chance Creation	Ability to beat defenders one-on-one and create chances
Big Game Impact	Performances in the Champions League, the 2026 World Cup and key fixtures
Team Success and Awards	Club and national team trophies, individual awards, Ballon d’Or nominations
Availability	Minutes played and how injuries affected the season
Current Form	Start of the 2026/27 season

We focused on players who mainly operate on the right flank. Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, is not included: although he started his career as a right winger, at PSG he now plays mostly as a central forward.

Top 10 Best Right Wingers in the World 2026

These are the best right wingers in the world right now:

1. Lamine Yamal — Barcelona (Spain) ⬅ Holds 1st place
2. Michael Olise — Bayern Munich (France) ↑ Up 1 position
3. Bukayo Saka — Arsenal (England) ↓ Down 1 position
4. Désiré Doué — PSG (France) ⬅ Holds 4th place
5. Bryan Mbeumo — Manchester United (Cameroon) ↑ Up 3 positions
6. Antoine Semenyo — Manchester City (Ghana) ↑ New entry
7. Mohamed Salah — Trabzonspor (Egypt) ↑ New entry
8. Estêvão — Chelsea (Brazil) ↑ New entry
9. Pedro Neto — Chelsea (Portugal) ⬅ Holds 9th place
10. Christian Pulisic — AC Milan (USA) ↑ New entry

1. Lamine Yamal — Barcelona (Spain)

⬅ Holds 1st place

Lamine Yamal is the best right winger in the world. In 2025/26 he scored 24 goals and provided 17 assists in 45 appearances for Barcelona, who won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. He was named La Liga Player of the Season and shared the Zarra Trophy with Ferran Torres as the top Spanish scorer in the league with 16 goals. The one question mark was his fitness: groin problems and a hamstring injury kept him out of Barcelona’s last six games.

He started the World Cup on a minutes restriction, but his influence grew with every game. He scored against Saudi Arabia, completed more dribbles than any other player at the tournament (35), was named Player of the Match in the round-of-32 win over Austria and won the penalty that opened the scoring in the 2-0 semi-final win over France. With Spain’s 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina in the final, he became the youngest player ever to have won both the World Cup and the European Championship. He has started 2026/27 in sensational form, with 8 goals and 6 assists in his first 9 La Liga games, and is on the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist after finishing second in 2025.

Key achievements:

• 2026 World Cup winner, most dribbles at the tournament
• La Liga champion and La Liga Player of the Season 2025/26
• 24 goals and 17 assists in 2025/26, 2026 Ballon d’Or nominee

2. Michael Olise — Bayern Munich (France)

↑ Up 1 position

No winger in Europe created more than Michael Olise in 2025/26. He finished the season with 22 goals and 26 assists in 52 appearances as Bayern won the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal and the German Super Cup. He was named Bundesliga Player of the Season and made the Champions League Team of the Season.

At the World Cup he provided 7 assists in 8 matches – the most at a single World Cup since records began in 1966, beating Pelé’s 1970 tally – and was named in FIFA’s team of the tournament, although he failed to score himself. France finished fourth. Olise has carried that form into 2026/27, scoring a hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Union Berlin and winning Bundesliga Player of the Month for September. He is on the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist, and the gap between him and Yamal at the top of this ranking is very small.

Key achievements:

• Bundesliga Player of the Season 2025/26
• Record 7 assists at the 2026 World Cup, FIFA team of the tournament
• Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup winner, 2026 Ballon d’Or nominee

3. Bukayo Saka — Arsenal (England)

↓ Down 1 position

Bukayo Saka finally won the Premier League with Arsenal in 2025/26, scoring 10 goals in the Premier League and Champions League, and he reached the Champions League final, which Arsenal lost 4-3 on penalties to PSG in Budapest. During the season he signed a new five-year contract that runs until 2031 and makes him the club’s best-paid player.

His World Cup was one to remember. Used mostly from the bench, Saka still finished with 3 goals and 3 assists in just 357 minutes – all three goals coming in his hat-trick as England beat France 6-4 in the third-place match, England’s best World Cup finish since 1966. His club numbers were lower than Yamal’s and Olise’s, which is why he drops one place, but he remains one of the most complete right wingers in the world and has 3 goals in his first 7 games of 2026/27.

Key achievements:

• Premier League champion 2025/26
• Hat-trick in the World Cup third-place match, 3 World Cup assists
• New Arsenal contract until 2031

4. Désiré Doué — PSG (France)

⬅ Holds 4th place

Désiré Doué won the Champions League for the second year in a row in 2025/26, scoring 13 goals in 41 appearances – 5 of them in the Champions League – as PSG also lifted Ligue 1. He was named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for the second time.

Used mainly from the bench at the World Cup, he still scored his first World Cup goal for France with a stoppage-time header in the 4-1 win over Norway. In August 2026 he scored the 61st-minute winner in PSG’s 2-1 UEFA Super Cup win over Aston Villa in Salzburg. Still only 21, Doué already has two Champions League titles and is one of the most exciting young wingers in Europe.

Key achievements:

• Champions League and Ligue 1 winner 2025/26
• Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for the second year in a row
• Winning goal in the 2026 UEFA Super Cup

5. Bryan Mbeumo — Manchester United (Cameroon)

↑ Up 3 positions

Bryan Mbeumo justified his big move from Brentford. In his first season at Manchester United he scored 11 Premier League goals and 12 in all competitions, finishing as the club’s joint top scorer with Benjamin Šeško, and he was named Premier League Player of the Month for October 2025.

A left-footed right winger who loves to cut inside and shoot, Mbeumo has started 2026/27 even better. He has started every Premier League game and scored 4 goals in the first 7, including the goals in the draws with Tottenham and Leeds, as United return to the Champions League. That form and reliability move him into the top five.

Key achievements:

• Manchester United’s joint top scorer in 2025/26
• Premier League Player of the Month, October 2025
• 4 goals in his first 7 Premier League games of 2026/27

6. Antoine Semenyo — Manchester City (Ghana)

↑ New entry

Antoine Semenyo had a breakthrough season. He scored 10 Premier League goals for Bournemouth in the first half of 2025/26, earning a January move to Manchester City, and finished the campaign with 21 goals and 6 assists in 48 appearances across both clubs. He scored in the EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle and played the full 90 minutes of the 2-0 final win over Arsenal, and his audacious 72nd-minute backheel won the FA Cup final 1-0 against Chelsea. He was Premier League Player of the Month for February 2026, became the first Ghanaian ever named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and represented Ghana at the World Cup.

On last season alone he would be in our top five, but 2026/27 has been harder. Under new City coach Enzo Maresca he has often started on the bench and has scored twice in all competitions. On 17 October 2026 he suffered a knee injury against Ipswich that is expected to keep him out for up to eight weeks, with a return planned for December.

Key achievements:

• 21 goals and 6 assists in 48 appearances in 2025/26
• FA Cup final match-winner and EFL Cup winner
• PFA Team of the Year 2025/26 – the first Ghanaian to be selected

7. Mohamed Salah — Trabzonspor (Egypt)

↑ New entry

One of the greatest right wingers of his generation, Mohamed Salah announced in March 2026 that he would leave Liverpool at the end of a difficult season in which he scored 12 goals and publicly fell out with Arne Slot. He left by mutual agreement a year before his contract expired, as Liverpool’s third-highest scorer of all time with 257 goals in 442 games.

He then made history with Egypt at the World Cup. He captained his country to its first-ever World Cup win, 3-1 over New Zealand, in which he scored and assisted. Playing through a hamstring problem, he then led Egypt to their first knockout-stage win, on penalties against Australia, before a 3-2 defeat by Argentina in the round of 16. In August he signed a two-year deal with Trabzonspor and has made a flying start in Turkey, with 8 goals and 3 assists in his first 8 Süper Lig matches, making him the league’s top scorer. At 34, he is no longer at his Liverpool peak, but his finishing remains elite.

Key achievements:

• Led Egypt to their first World Cup wins and first knockout win
• Süper Lig top scorer with 8 goals in his first 8 league games
• Liverpool legend and four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner

8. Estêvão — Chelsea (Brazil)

↑ New entry

Estêvão is the most exciting young right winger in the world. In his first season in Europe the Brazilian scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists in 36 appearances for Chelsea, including 3 goals in 7 Champions League matches, and became the club’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer.

A serious hamstring injury suffered against Manchester United in April 2026 ended his season and cost him a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad. He chose not to have surgery, and his recovery has gone faster than expected. At 19 he has all the tools to climb much higher in this ranking.

Key achievements:

• 8 goals in his first season at Chelsea
• Chelsea’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer
• London Football Awards Young Player of the Year 2026

9. Pedro Neto — Chelsea (Portugal)

⬅ Holds 9th place

Pedro Neto remained one of the most reliable wingers in the Premier League. He made 52 appearances in 2025/26, scoring 10 goals, including his first Chelsea hat-trick away at Hull in the FA Cup, as Chelsea reached the FA Cup final. He was part of Portugal’s World Cup squad.

Neto can play on either wing, and his pace and crossing make him a constant threat. He has started 2026/27 well, with 4 goals in his first 9 matches.

Key achievements:

• 52 appearances and 10 goals in 2025/26
• FA Cup finalist 2025/26
• 2026 World Cup squad member with Portugal

10. Christian Pulisic — AC Milan (USA)

↑ New entry

Christian Pulisic scored 10 goals and provided 4 assists in 34 appearances for AC Milan in 2025/26, which earns him the final place in our top 10. The home World Cup started brightly – his assist in the 4-1 opening win over Paraguay took him to three career World Cup assists – but it turned into a frustration. He did not score, struggled with knocks and was forced off with an ankle injury early in the second half of the 4-1 round-of-16 defeat by Belgium in Seattle.

Pulisic can play across the front line, but he is at his most dangerous cutting in from the right. He has made a slower start to 2026/27 and is under pressure from the players in our honourable mentions, but he remains Milan’s key attacker.

Key achievements:

• 10 goals and 4 assists for AC Milan in 2025/26
• 3 career World Cup assists, more than Cristiano Ronaldo
• Round of 16 with the USA at the 2026 World Cup

Honourable Mentions

A few right wingers came very close to making our top 10. Some lost out on minutes, others on consistency – but all of them are worth watching in 2026/27.

Franco Mastantuono is on loan at Fiorentina from Real Madrid. In September 2026 he scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Venezia, becoming, at 19 years and 28 days, the youngest Argentine to score a hat-trick in Europe’s top five leagues – a record previously held by Lionel Messi.

Lennart Karl scored 9 goals and provided 8 assists for Bayern Munich in 2025/26, won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal and is on the 2026 Kopa Trophy shortlist, but an injury ruled him out of the World Cup.

Jarrod Bowen scored 9 Premier League goals and provided 11 assists in 2025/26, but West Ham were relegated on the final day. He missed out on England’s World Cup squad and chose to stay to lead West Ham in the Championship.

Rodrygo would be in contention when fit, but a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee ruled him out of the World Cup and the start of the new season.

What Does a Right Winger Do?

A right winger plays on the right side of the attack, traditionally wearing the No. 7 shirt. The classic right winger used his pace to beat the full-back on the outside and deliver crosses into the box. Today, most of the best right wingers are left-footed “inverted” wingers like Yamal, Olise and Saka: they cut inside onto their stronger foot to shoot or play through balls, while the right-back overlaps to provide width.

Modern right wingers also have defensive duties. They are expected to press the opposition’s left-back, block passing lanes and track back when their team loses the ball.

Trends and Future of the Right Winger Position

The 2025/26 season showed how much modern football depends on right wingers’ end product. Yamal and Olise both finished with more than 40 goal contributions for their clubs, and Olise’s 7 assists at the World Cup set a new record. The best right wingers in the world are now among their teams’ top scorers and chief creators at the same time.

The next generation is already here. Yamal is 19, Estêvão is 19 and Doué is 21, while Franco Mastantuono and Lennart Karl are knocking on the door. Expect the top of this ranking to keep changing over the coming seasons.