Your 2030 Starting XI: Projecting The Next Big Things
What sectors could see massive growth by the time of the next World Cup?
The world has seen enough exposes on the US Men’s National team’s disappointing crashout vs. Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. I’m not here to debate Christian Pulisic, the parasitic nature of pay-to-play, or relitigate the depth at centreback (or lack thereof).
But I am the sicko that cannot rest. I immediately looked ahead to 2027 mocks right after the 2026 draft. Give me power rankings for next year right after a season just ended. Endlessly prospecting about the future is as American as apple pie.
The disease of more, if you will.
It took me only 12 hours to look ahead to the potential 2030 USMNT roster. Bear in mind, these are 17-18 year olds getting projected four years into the future. It’s a tough task.
Take a look at 2022 projections for 2026:
A lot of whiffs (and an indictment on US soccer media’s ability to do anything correctly besides shill.) But it also goes to show how different the world looked in 2022 compared to now.
Investors know that better than anyone.
You can write in Sharpie mega cap stocks like Nvidia, Alphabet, Micron — the Pulisic’s, Balogun’s of the roster — that will be at the forefront of Wall Street in 2030. They’re not going anywhere.
But what about the Alex Freemans? The Malik Tillmans? These players weren’t on any pundits radar four years ago, but are now household names.
What stocks could make that similar leap?
Below, I laid out a speculative 2030 Starting XI of names that haven’t fully reached critical mass, but could be the talk of the town in four years. I omitted a lot of stocks that will probably be beasts in four years, yet kind of already are; Lumentum (LITE), the whole memory sector, and the AI infrastructure trade have all jumped the shark. They’re not sneaking up on anybody.
*Because a lot of these look like they were pulled off /rWallStreetBets, I tried to pair each pick with a fun but verified stat. Think of them as Pat Stats!
**Also reminder none of this is investment advice, just pointing out some situations that might be worth monitoring, as a contrarian investor.
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS)
Great, starting the list off with the most popular stock on Reddit in 2026.
Hear me out though.
The SpaceX IPO took a ton of the wind out of ASTS’ sails. The stock has taken a nearly 45% haircut since a May 28 peak of $133.85. But the space connectivity and satellite sector is a large, large sandbox.
Fun Fact: The global satellite communication market was valued at $25.2 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $83 billion by 2035 — but the pure satellite internet segment is growing even faster. The satellite internet market stands at $14.26 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $32.86 billion by 2030, per Global Market Insights.
Global cellular broadband has the type of scalability potential that makes the short-term cashflow and earnings pitfalls — like that ugly 11.6% drawdown on May 12 — worth it. ASTS’ current price of $72.94 could look really funny in 2030, like when Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) was making noise in 2021 but crossed the Rubicon in 2025.
Sealsq (LAES)
If you’re a quantum computing truther, encryption and cybersecurity are a dire need ahead of the inevitable Q-Day. Switzerland-based Sealsq develops quantum-resistant chips, and just inked a $5 million agreement with Quobly to integrate post-quantum security into next-generation silicon-based quantum platforms.
Pat Stat: Private venture capital invested $4.9 billion in quantum startups during 2025 — a 192% increase over 2024, per SQ Magazine.
Down 24% in 2026 and in penny stock territory after its 2023 IPO at $10, this is a way to be long on quantum without too much risk.
Dlocal (DLO)
Think fintech for emerging markets. Money talks, and in many languages. The Uruguayan-based payment infrastructure name is up 7% in 2026 and just received a price-target hike to $20 from $16 at UBS to start July. Fundamentals are solid, technicals look even sharper.
Pat Stat: Global digital payments are expected to grow from $18.7 trillion in 2024 to more than $33.5 trillion by 2030, per WorldPay.com
Symbotic (SYM)
Automation nation. Many oracles see physical AI and robotics as the next big boom after AI. Venture capital interest in robotics is surging. Warehouse specialists like Symbotic will surely have to contend with Big Tech throwing their hat in the ring, but a $22.5 billion backlog is pretty, pretty good.
Pat Stat: From our good friends at McKinsey:
Velo3D (VELO)
A shameless 2026 Stock Pick plug.
Pat Stat: The 3D printing market is expected to grow from $16.16 billion in 2025 to $35.79 billion by 2030, per MarketsandMarkets.
Samsara (IOT)
Internet of things refers to physical devices embedded with software. Wearables, smart homes, assembly lines. Samsara has been a year away from being a year away for the last four years. IOT’s long-term uptrend took a nasty turn to start 2025 after trading above $60, but is now down at $36.65.
In four years it’s a fair bet to say our tech ecosystems will be even more connected, synthesized, and processed. We’ll have 6G cellular networks sooner than you think.
Pat Stat: The 6G Market Size was valued at $6.92 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $54.87 billion by 2032, per SNS Insider.
Unity Software (U)
I am personally not a huge believer in augmented or virtual reality, but there’s money there. Unity Software would be a picks and shovels play in this case.
Pat Stat: The virtual training and simulation market is forecasted at $1.1 billion by 2030. Unity’s engine will play an integral role in that.
Zscaler (ZS)
Zero-trust architecture (ZTA) is the buzzword here (that’s where the Z comes from!). This is a bet on a weaning off firewall systems and a pivot to a cloud-native approach to cybersecurity. ZS has taken a beating in the last 12 months and its a crowded playing field, but as a dip-buying pure-play on zero-trust growth, its worth a flier.
Pat Stat: The ZTA market is projected to reach between $47.1 billion and $84 billion by 2030, per Grand View Research.
AeroVironment (AVAV)
Drone deliveries are about to get a massive scale boost. But smart money is on Amazon cornering that market. AeroVironment is go-to military manufacturer of drones and tactical autonomous systems, boasting a $1.1 billion funded backlog as of the latest quarterly report. It’s lofty targets have drawn some skepticism, but as a four-year play, it checks all the boxes.
Pat Stat: “The military drone market is expected to nearly triple by 2030, growing from roughly $13 billion in 2022 to more than $35 billion, per Fortune Business Insights.
Nuscale Power (SMR)
A very risky one, given the global nuclear renaissance could happen, or it could be fugazi. Or if it happens, its so so far away that makes even 2030 a too-soon timeline. SMR has mostly been a hype machine so far; $8.95 makes a lot more sense than the $50s from late 2025.
But, the U.S., Japan, and Korea did sign a pact to work on small module reactors. The early commercial stage of SMRs make a Pat Stat hard to hone in on, but let’s try:
Pat Stat: Small modular reactor installed global capacity is projected to nearly triple by 2030, per Mordor Intelligence.
Ouster (OUST)
LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. It’s the straw that stirs the drink for autonomous vehicle navigation, mapping, and automation. In layman’s terms, its another bite at the physical AI apple.
Pat Stat: The global LiDAR market is projected to nearly quadruple by 2030, climbing from roughly $3.3 billion today to almost $13 billion, per Markets and Markets.
A pullback from those June 30 highs at $63.79 came from a $200 million share offering, and has sent OUST to $44.30. But look no further than the World Cup for the real life applications.
Host cities are deploying Ouster's lidar-powered BlueCity platform at critical intersections around stadiums to manage severe vehicular and pedestrian bottlenecks. It’s just one example of how automation is moving into public infrastructure, crowd logistics, and municipal security.
What I’m Watching This Week
To bring it back to the present, below are four earnings reports I’m eyeing for next week. Note Morgan Stanley’s (MS) stellar post-earnings history. No stock needs a post-earnings pop more than Alcoa (AA) after its 25% pullback.
