The BEST wingers in the world right now (Ranked 10-1)

However, nowadays, when the question arises about the best in the world, wingers have to have a bit of everything and still have that marquee flare, which makes them so watchable. 

In 2026, finishing is still a high priority, but wingers are expected to be dominant in the air, create attacking threats from nothing, and still have to work as hard in defence. 

Before the reasoning, yes, the Italian splits time between playing wing and full-back for Top 14 side Toulouse and his national side. With that said, from an attacking stance, he’s among the more unpredictable backs in world rugby currently. 

He didn’t have the Six Nations championship he would’ve wanted, watching from the sidelines, but when he’s selected on the wing, he provides the opposition headaches with his footwork, speed, and simply deserves a spot on this list. 

One for the future. Still only 21 years old, he had made a massive impact during a memorable 2026 Six Nations campaign. When looking at his work, in the air is where he stands out from the rest, and he can score freely. 

The Section Paloise player is still relatively new to the senior international stage, but so far, so good, and is undoubtedly going to have a number of successful years out wide for both club and country. 

You can’t be your nation's top try scorer and not be included in this list. That is no different for Edinburgh Rugby’s Graham, who has scored 38 tries in 55 appearances for Scotland. 

It’s been a memorable number of years for the winger, and in 2024 against Fiji, he crossed over four times, and that relentless and ruthless eye for scoring continues to this day. He has got some of the best footwork in the world, which makes him a constant nuisance for sides in defence. 

It’s been a remarkable rise so far for Northampton Saints’ Freeman, and for England, he has proven to be heavily relied upon, despite a forgettable Six Nations campaign, which included his national side losing to Italy for the first time. 

Yet another ruthless scoring machine, and those standout performances are becoming more and more frequent for the 25-year-old. With the added bonus of his size, and as the years go on, expect to see Freeman’s name even higher. 

Despite having a challenging period in the 2025 Super Rugby season, he still remains a key figurehead for the Blues and, more importantly, has signed a contract extension through to the end of next season. 

He’s one of the best due to his physical power, and he continuously gets his side over the gainline. That was evident in 2024, when he led the standings for metres gained. Clake is everything you expect of a world-class winger, and add on scoring prowess as well, it doesn’t get better than that. 14 tries in 33 Test matches. 

Talking about a high number of Test match scores, Jordan is right up there with 45 tries in 54 Tests for the All Blacks. Like Capuozzo, there is a lot of debate surrounding whether he’s actually a better full-back than a winger. 

However, this versatility has made him one of the best in the world. At the 2023 Rugby World Cup, he equalled the all-time record for tries in a single World Cup with eight scores, which sees the 28-year-old join legends such as Jonah Lomu, Julian Savea, and Bryan Habana. 

Interestingly, for this list, all of those appearances saw Jordan wear the 14 jersey, including a hat-trick against Argentina in the semi-finals. 

Despite being omitted from Frances’s Six Nations squad in January 2026, he is still regarded as one of the best wingers in the world. Even with that, his unpredictable attack has been put to good use for Bordeaux, creating many of his opportunities from nothing. 

In 2025, he was named the European Player of the Year when he set a record number of tries (14) in a Champions Cup campaign, which also saw his side claim silverware in Cardiff. Rugby supporters can only hope that Penaud is selected to take part in what is going to be an exciting summer of international rugby. 

One of the most lethal wingers in the world, who has exceptional footwork, which warrants a strong scoring pedigree. In his first 23 Test matches for the Springboks, he crossed on 17 occasions, and still has a remarkable strike rate when it comes to scoring. 

Despite being one of the smaller-sized picks, that proves to be no hindrance for the former Sevens player, as he dominates when in attack. He will play a huge part in Rassie Erasmus’s South Africa side, aiming for their third consecutive World Cup in 2027 in Australia.  

Selecting positions one and two was decided by a coin toss. 

Even at 32 years old, Kolbe remains one of the best, well-rounded, forget wingers, rugby players in the world at the moment. Despite playing for Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath in Japan, the highly regarded winger has expertise spread across several departments. 

Under the high-ball and his kicking game, to name a few. Size like Arendse isn’t a worry, as he famously bounces off defenders, more often than not bigger than himself and gets his side on the front-foot. 

He is constantly claiming Player of the Match awards in Japan, and is very much needed for South Africa on the international stage, as he thrives in the biggest of matches. 

It’s been a memorable 2026 campaign so far for the Bordeaux winger, and there’s still more to come. He has incredible pace, ghosting past defenders, which has earned him so many accolades. 

He has a high rugby IQ, and beyond pace, like any world-class operator in the wide channels, he is also dominant in the air and defensively. Mr Consistent is what so many call the winger, as he has scored a try in 10 consecutive Six Nations matches, and outstandingly has scored 55 tries in 50 appearances for club and country. 

Simply the best.