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The recently concluded FIFA 2026 World Cup in North America confirmed a generational talent in football. Now all eyes have turned to 2027 and whether cricket's next generation of superstars will follow suit, says The Cricket News' Arya Shah.

World Cups are like festivals. They bring about celebrations, heated discussions of “my team’s going to win this year”, and most importantly, they introduce us to breakout stars.

Sometimes, it's the household names that we all saw coming. Other times, it's one tournament that changed everything.

And the 2026 FIFA World Cup was a reminder of exactly that. Spain lifted their second World Cup title, and along with the celebrations came confirmation of the passing of the baton to yet another star. The famous baby Messi had a photoshoot with years ago, now 19 years old — Lamine Yamal.

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He finished the tournament with five goals and four assists, making him one of the youngest players to dominate football on the world stage and confirming his place in Spain, and global football’s, next generation of great stars.

However, history suggests that this is not unusual. Let’s backtrack and compare.

In 2010, Spain’s first World Cup win, we saw a team with Xavi, Iniesta, Villa and Casillas, that defined football for several years.

Then 2011 came the ICC Cricket World Cup, where the headlines belonged to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his match-winning six, Sachin Tendulkar with his sixth appearance in a World Cup and two centuries throughout the tournament, and Yuvraj Singh’s Player of the Tournament after his 362 run-scoring effort and 15 wickets taken.

And of course, we had Virat Kohli, 22 years old back then, and only beginning his World Cup journey. In his debut World Cup, Kohli scored 282 runs over nine innings, along with an unbeaten century against Bangladesh.

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Those numbers were predictors of something much bigger that was to follow, as over the next decade, he went on to become one of the greatest ODI batsmen that the game has ever seen, scoring more than 14,000 ODI runs (as of today), 50 ODI centuries (as of today) and eventually surpassing Tendulkar’s record for most centuries in ODIs.

The 2011 ICC World Cup crowned India as champions, of course. But it also introduced the player who became the face of Indian cricket for years to come.

That is a pattern that has stretched across generations. In 1996, it was Sourav Ganguly. In 1999, Lance Klusener. Then 2007 brought us AB de Villiers. And 2019 introduced players like Shai Hope, Shaheen Afridi and Matt Henry.

So, the trend is evident. Each major tournament, whatever the sport, brings way more than just a trophy. It heralds new star players to watch out for.

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And so thoughts turn to the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup, where the established names are already in place. Of course, India will rely on Shubman Gill, who has crossed 2700 ODI runs, has an average of 60, and is the fastest player in history to reach 2500 ODI runs.

Australia can count on Travis Head, whose records speak for themselves, having been Player of the Match in the 2023 World Test Championship and ODI World Cup.

New Zealand has Daryl Mitchell, who scored 552 runs in the 2023 World Cup, the highest total by a NZ batter in one edition.

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MORE: Road to ICC ODI World Cup 2027: How many matches are every team playing ahead of the tournament?

However, if history repeats itself, then the biggest player for the ODI World Cup could be someone we aren’t even considering just yet.

For India, it could be Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The former U19 World Cup winner already has an impressive resume at the moment with his presence in the IPL with KKR, his domestic titles, consistent, calm temperament and attacking style, that shows immense potential. You heard it here first, he could be one of India’s talented long-term batting prospects!

Australia's next big hope could be Sam Konstas. While still in his teens, he has already gained traction for his fearless batting style. Konstas fully fits Australia’s mould of players that embrace and chase the big moments and meet them with an even bolder stance.

For South Africa, Kwena Maphaka could be the one. The left-arm fast bowler was leading wicket-taker at the U19 World Cup in 2024, taking 21 wickets in six matches. He is incredibly composed for his age, and has immense pace and aggression, possibly rendering him as one of the brightest fast-bowling prospects for the World Cup.

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Now, predicting a breakout star is next to impossible. We can chase trends and identify patterns, but few can accurately tell who the next “big thing” is going to be. Even so, that is the beauty of a World Cup. It celebrates the stars we’re familiar with, but also introduces us to the ones we’re going to be talking about for years to come.

Football seems to have confirmed its next big great in 2026 — now cricket is looking for its own in time for 2027.

To hear more of Arya Shah's thoughts and for all the latest cricket news, opinion and commentary and the chance to share your voice head to our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.

Arya Shah

Arya Shah is a sports presenter based in the UAE, specialising in cricket coverage. With training from LAMDA, she has worked with major tournaments including the ILT20 and the Bukhatir League, with newsrooms such as Sport360 & The Cricket News. Fluent in English, Hindi, and Gujarati, Arya brings narrative-driven analysis to cricket journalism while maintaining editorial credibility.

Source: Cricketnews.com