Dmitriy Pestryakov: “My preference for the 2026 World Cup is Argentina and Brazil”

Dmitriy Pestryakov, Akron football player who was awarded fifth place this season in the election as the best young player of the Russian top division, has explained why he is supporting the national teams of Argentina and Brazil at the 2026 World Cup.

“The first World Cup that I consciously followed was in 2018. At that time I obviously supported Russia, but Argentina also appealed to me very much. I will certainly watch the 2026 World Cup and especially the matches at times that are somewhat acceptable - getting up in the middle of the night is unlikely to happen,” said Pestryakov.


He adds: "This tournament I will specifically support Brazil and Argentina because my favorite players, Neymar and Messi, are active there. Moreover, it may be the last chance for Neymar to become world champion. In addition, I will also continue to follow Mbappé and of course my personal favorite: Gilson Benshimol!"

Pestryakov collected 20 points during the election as the best young player of the Russian league. The top three were formed by Kirill Glebov and Matvey Kislyak (both CSKA with 42 and 131 points respectively) and winner Aleksei Batrakov (Lokomotiv, 162 points).