World Cup fantasy football is fast approaching and managers in their thousands have already started preparing their teams.
Midfielders get points for goals, assists, and clean sheets, but unlike FPL they also get points for every three tackles won (+1), and two key passes made (+1) too.
There are so many midfield options to choose from, so picking 5 is tough, but here are 8 that deserve consideration.
If your midfield is ready to go, check out our best forwards in World Cup fantasy.
Here are the best midfielders to pick in World Cup fantasy:
| Name | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin De Bruyne | Belgium | $11m |
| Leroy Sane | Germany | $9m |
| Angel Di Maria | Argentina | $8.5m |
| Jamal Musiala | Germany | $8m |
| Christian Eriksen | Denmark | $8m |
| Steven Bergwijn | Netherlands | $7m |
| Mohammed Kudus | Ghana | $6m |
| Rodrigo De Paul | Argentina | $5m |
Kevin De Bruyne
- Price: $11m
- Fixtures: Canada, Morocco, Croatia
- Picked by: 46%
Kevin De Bruyne is unsurprisingly a popular pick, being selected in more than half of teams already.
He has the most assists in the Premier League (9), making 43 key passes, which would earn him a lot of points in this version of fantasy football.
Additionally, he’s providing 1.4 goal-creating actions per 90 and is arguably one of the best players in the world right now.
Belgium are favourites to top their group, with Croatia being their toughest test, facing a Canada side who may be without Alphonso Davies due to injury, and Morocco.
Expect him to be one of the highest points scorers in the group stage.
He’s also a great captain choice which has added importance given how the World Cup fantasy captaincy works.
Leroy Sane
- Price: $9m
- Fixtures: Japan, Spain, Costa Rica
- Picked by: 19%
Sane has 9 goals in all competitions for Bayern this season, including 1.6 attacking returns per 90 in the Champions League.
The winger is taking 4.7 shots per 90 in the Bundesliga, with 2.2 being on target (most in the league), as well as making 5.2 shot-creating actions per 90.
Germany have a group with potential for him to profit from, as when he’s on form he’s unplayable.
Japan and Costa Rica should be no match for Germany, but Spain should offer a sterner test.
Angel Di Maria
- Price: $8.5m
- Fixtures: Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
- Picked by: 21%
Di Maria has only made 8 appearances in all competitions for Juventus this campaign due to injuries.
However, in his limited minutes, he has impressed, registering 0.9 attacking returns per 90 in Serie A, and 1.85 assists per 90 playing in Europe.
In 2022 he started four of Argentina’s 8 matches, captaining them on three occasions, scoring three goals.
In qualifying for the tournament he was averaging 1.9 shots on target per 90 (second most) and could be gifted opportunities to score in games against Saudi Arabia for instance.
Argentina are one of the favourites this year, and having him alongside Messi wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Jamal Musiala
- Price: $8m
- Fixtures: Japan, Spain, Costa Rica
- Picked by: 14%
Musiala has been on fire for Bayern this season, and with certain injuries to Germany’s regulars, he has cemented a starting place.
He’s the top scorer at the Bavarian club with 8 goals, scoring at a rate of 0.9 per 90.
Also, he has four assists too and has the most goals and assists in the Bundesliga.
Per 90, he’s averaging 5.2 shot-creating actions and 1.1 goal-creating actions, making him one of the most in-form players heading into this World Cup.
He’s definitely one player that could have a breakout tournament.
Christian Eriksen
- Price: $8m
- Fixtures: Tunisia, France, Australia
- Picked by: 11%
Denmark’s most talented player is going slightly under the radar, as Denmark have quite a favourable group.
They got to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, so they should qualify for the next round this winter.
This year, Eriksen has three goals and two assists for his country and is averaging 0.4 assists per 90, ranking him in the 99th percentile for midfielders in Europe’s Big 5 Leagues.
The Manchester United midfielder has also been producing 4.6 shot-creating actions too, and faces Tunisia and Australia in the group stage.
Steven Bergwijn
- Price: $7m
- Fixtures: Senegal, Ecuador, Qatar
- Picked by: 16%
For Ajax, Bergwijn has scored 7 times in the Eredivisie this term after his move from Tottenham this summer.
He also has an xA of four, the 6th highest in the Dutch top flight.
Read More: Best Defenders to Pick in World Cup Fantasy
Interestingly, he’s playing out of position as a forward for the national team, scoring four in 2022.
The Dutch have a kind group on paper and have lots of World Cup experience compared to their group-stage opponents.
He could definitely take advantage of the minnows in his group and score lots of points.
Mohammed Kudus
- Price: $6m
- Fixtures: Portugal, South Korea, Uruguay
- Picked by: 2%
Another Ajax player on this list is Mohammed Kudus, who has 5 goals in just 401 minutes in league football, scoring 1.1 per 90 (most in the Eredivisie).
It’s a similar story in the Champions League too, scoring four times.
The Ghanaian has an xG per 90 of 1.1 too (highest in the league), taking 4.3 shots per 90 including 2 on target.
He’s played largely as a centre-forward for Ajax but plays in midfield for Ghana, so don’t expect him to be scoring so frequently, but a great differential nonetheless.
Rodrigo De Paul
- Price: $5m
- Fixtures: Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
- Picked by: 15%
De Paul started the most games for Argentina in their qualifying campaign (16), playing as an 8 in their system.
The Atletico Madrid player scored one goal in the process, as well as managing three assists (5th most).
Read More: Who Is Favourite to Be the World Cup Top Scorer?
For his club, in limited minutes, he’s managed 19 passes into the opposition box (7th most in La Liga).
The big plus of selecting RDP is that he’s very cheap at $5m, for a starter in a team unbeaten in 35 matches.
He’s one to include as a budget option, which could turn out to be a very shrewd pick.