LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 06: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool reacts after the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Liverpool FC at Craven Cottage on April 06, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

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Tyler Erzberger

By Tyler Erzberger

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What's better than 32 nations vying for the World Cup trophy?

How about 48, with an extra knockout round, and three nations hosting the entire thing.

We are ready for the World Cup that begins Thursday with Mexico starting things off at home against South Africa, and we're going through each group picking out the best players.

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In Group F, which includes the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, and Tunisia, here is my top trio entering the tournament.

More news: Ranking All 16 World Cup Stadiums From Best to Worst

MILAN, ITALY - MARCH 15: Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Como at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 15, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

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More news: Is Raúl Jiménez Still King? World Cup Group A Best Player Rankings

3. Tijjani Reijnders (Netherlands, Manchester City)

There were a few players from the Netherlands I considered for the third spot, including fellow midfielders Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) and Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona). Ultimately, though, I picked Reijnders, who might have had the greatest ascension of any Dutch player during the current cycle, moving from the Eredivisie to starring at AC Milan before moving to Manchester City this most-recent season and even getting better.

2. Alexander Isak (Sweden, Liverpool)

In a world where Isak was coming into the World Cup with momentum and health, there's an argument he would be the top player. But the Swedish ace is coming off a season with a broken ankle after Liverpool broke the bank to bring him in. Overall, he only contributed a few goals for the team and has massive question mark over his head heading to North America. While he says he's good to go and feels ready to be the old Isak, we need to see it on the field first.

BERLIN, GERMANY - JUNE 25: Virgil van Dijk of the Netherlands reacts during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Netherlands and Austria at Olympiastadion on June 25, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

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1. Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands, Liverpool)

We have Isak's Liverpool teammate instead at the top spot with the undeniable can Dijk. Even at 34 years of age, the Netherlands giant is still one of the best defenders on the planet and is an unmovable object in front of the penalty box. Every cycle it feels like he might drop in form, but the Dutch captain continues to fend off Father Time like he's an overconfident striker thinking they can beat him in the air.

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