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Analysis
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10 wonderkids to watch at the 2026 World Cup
7 Jun 2026 13:00 BST |
10 min read
Analysis
The World Cup is the stage where football's most illustrious names battle for the biggest prize in sports, but FIFA's showpiece event has also platformed its fair share of lesser-known, promising talents over the years.
The 2026 edition in North America will be no different. In fact, it has the potential to be the biggest World Cup yet when it comes to shining the spotlight on young talents. After all, it is quite literally the biggest World Cup ever.
An unprecedented 1,248 stars have been called up by the 48 participating nations. A whopping 48 of those players are aged 20 or under, illustrating the incredible amount of young talent on display in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer.
On the other end of the age spectrum are veterans like Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer, who have already hit their 40s. 19 players aged 38 or older have been called up for the World Cup.
The generational gap between the youngest player - 17-year-old Gilberto Mora - and the oldest - 43-year-old Craig Gordon - is more than 25 years. Mora will certainly be one of the most exciting players to watch, but who are some of the other wonderkids you should keep an eye on?
Lamine Yamal (Spain)
For our 10 players, we have mixed it up and chosen some well-known stars as well as some lesser-known prospects. Because of the sheer number of young players at the tournament, we have only considered those aged 20 and under.
We have also decided to pick just one player per country (sorry, Pau Cubarsi!). So with that out of the way, let's start with the most obvious one: Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who is already one of the biggest superstars in football.
The youngest player ever to represent and score for his country's senior team, Yamal debuted for La Roja as a 16-year-old. He won the European Championship at 17 and now, at age 18, is already a runner-up for the Ballon d'Or, the sport's most prestigious individual award.
Yamal has been an integral part of boyhood club Barcelona for three seasons, notching 49 goals and 52 assists in 151 appearances. He has already won three LaLiga titles, with one of those championships coming as part of a domestic treble in 2024/25.
The teenager has struggled for fitness in recent weeks, but he is sure to feature for Spain at some stage. Despite his youth, he is already incredibly important to Luis de la Fuente's team. His mazy dribbles and trademark outside-of-the-boot passes make him one of the most enjoyable players to watch in world football.
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco)
French-born Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi is ready to put his name on the map in front of a global audience at this summer's finals. While many will have already seen him in the Champions League, the World Cup will give the central midfielder an even bigger stage to shine.
His participation at this summer's tournament was actually in doubt as Bouaddi left it late to decide his international allegiance. It was previously thought that he could suit up for France, but he ultimately opted for Morocco.
The 18-year-old only made his debut for the North Africans in May, but he immediately slotted into the starting line-up. Bouaddi plays his club football for Lille, but likely not for much longer, with several Premier League clubs keen to sign him.
Bouaddi played his first senior game for Lille in the Conference League in October 2023, when he had just turned 16. He became the youngest player to feature in a UEFA competition and, that same month, also became the youngest-ever Ligue 1 debutant.
He played against Real Madrid in the Champions League on his 17th birthday in 2024 and impressed massively in a shock 1-0 upset of the LaLiga giants. He is not the flashiest player, but he gets the job done in the heart of midfield.
Endrick (Brazil)
Brazil striker Endrick became a viral sensation at a young age because his father published videos online of his child playing football in order to attract the attention of big clubs.
He was eventually snapped up by Palmeiras and established himself as the biggest prospect in Brazilian football. He became his club's youngest debutant in October 2022, aged 16. The hype around him eventually made its way to Europe.
Real Madrid moved quickly to tie up a deal for the wonderkid, announcing his signing in December 2022. However, due to his age, he remained with Palmeiras until the summer of 2024. When he finally arrived, there was palpable excitement.
Los Blancos were careful not to overplay him in his first season of European football, which meant that he was in and out of the side. The striker ultimately only scored one goal in LaLiga, but he did net five times in the Copa del Rey.
After struggling for minutes in the early half of the season just gone, he was loaned to Lyon in January. The 19-year-old played regularly in France, but he wasn't particularly consistent, which left his World Cup participation in doubt.
He ultimately did get called up by Carlo Ancelotti - his first Real Madrid coach - and is determined to prove that he is capable of leading the line for the five-time world champions.
Luka Vuskovic (Croatia)
They say that you should never fall in love with a loan player, but that was easier said than done for fans of Bundesliga outfit Hamburger SV, who received Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham for one season.
The Croatia international was nothing short of outstanding for the German side, and there was an added emotional connection between the centre-back and HSV: his brother, Mario, played for the club until he was handed what many supporters felt was a dubious doping suspension in 2022.
Mario will be allowed to compete again in November, but despite Luka insisting that it was his dream to play alongside his brother at HSV, it seems highly unlikely that they will be with the same club next season.
Vuskovic has returned to Tottenham and will now either stay with them or join a different European giant for big money. Spurs signed him as a 16-year-old in 2023, but he has yet to make a competitive appearance because he was only allowed to move to the UK after turning 18.
The now-19-year-old was one of the breakout stars in the Bundesliga in 2025/26, with his aggressive defensive play, good reading of the game and threat on attacking set-pieces his most striking attributes.
The teenager has become a starter for Croatia and will face a big test at this summer's finals against group stage opponents England and their deadly attack.
Warren Zaire-Emery (France)
The youngest player to feature in two Champions League finals, PSG wonderkid Warren Zaire-Emery already has the kind of trophy cabinet at age 20 that most players can only dream of.
In addition to his two European Cups, Zaire-Emery has won Ligue 1 four times, the French Supercup three times, the Coupe de France twice and a UEFA Supercup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
He broke various age-related records when he made his debut for PSG domestically and in Europe aged 16, and it only took him one season to establish himself as a starter for the French giants.
He won a historic treble with the Parisians in 2024/25 and then followed that up by being one of Luis Enrique's most-used players in 2025/26. A midfielder by trade, Zaire-Emery has had to show his versatility by deputising for Achraf Hakimi, who dealt with injuries in the season just gone.
The 20-year-old is not yet a guaranteed starter in France's stacked team, but he already has a dozen caps to his name. He is a remarkable talent.
Nestory Irankunda (Australia)
Nicknamed the Australian Messi, Nestory Irankunda has not quite managed to set Europe alight as this moniker would suggest, but he is nevertheless a hugely talented prospect.
The 20-year-old was nothing short of sensational for Adelaide United when he broke into their first team aged 15. He became the A-League's highest U18 scorer in 2023 and really exploded the following season, bagging eight goals and providing six assists.
These numbers attracted the attention of German giants Bayern Munich, who signed the teenager for an A-League record fee in late 2023 for the summer 2024 window. After training with the first team and spending half a season playing for the reserves, he was loaned to Swiss club Grasshopper.
He failed to really have an impact in Switzerland, but it was nevertheless a huge surprise when Bayern decided to sell him to Watford after just one season. It has allowed him to play fairly regularly, though.
He played the most minutes of his career in the Championship in 2025/26, making 40 appearances, scoring four times and producing five assists. A tricky dribbler, the diminutive winger is unstoppable when he really gets going.
He hasn't played as much as he would like for the Socceroos lately, but if Australia achieve anything of note at this summer's tournament, Irankunda will surely be involved in some capacity.
Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast)
RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande has taken an incredibly unique path to the top of the game. Born in the Ivory Coast, he left his home alone at a young age and moved to Florida, where he played high school and academy football.
As recently as late 2024, Diomande was playing in the amateur UPSL. He went on trial with numerous European clubs, but it was only Spanish side Leganes who were ready to take a chance on him.
He joined as a reserve player in January 2025 but already made his senior debut in March. Leganes ended up getting relegated, but Diomande had shown enough to convince Leipzig to spend a whopping €20m on him.
Eyebrows were raised at such a large fee for someone most people had never heard of, especially as Leipzig were coming off a disappointing 2024/25 season. However, Diomande quickly silenced his doubters: he netted 12 goals in his debut Bundesliga season, while also providing 10 assists.
His exploits earned him a call-up to the Ivorian national team, where he established himself as a starting-calibre player, featuring prominently at the African Cup of Nations over the festive period.
Despite having just one full season of senior football under his belt, Diomande is now one of football's hottest properties. Liverpool, PSG and more have been linked with him in recent months, and Leipzig are demanding up to €130m for him.
Capable of playing on both flanks, Diomande is still a raw talent, but his combination of athleticism, technical ability and decisiveness in attacking areas makes him a thrilling player to watch.
Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal)
Like the aforementioned Zaire-Emery, French-born Ibrahim Mbaye is already a two-time Champions League winner with PSG. However, his minutes in Europe's premier competition have been few and far between.
Indeed, Mbaye is coming off a pretty disappointing season at club level. He didn't feature in any of PSG's knockout games - for the second season running - and was in and out of the team in Ligue 1.
That is in stark contrast to his fortunes for Senegal, with whom he won the African Cup of Nations in January (before later having the title stripped). He may not have started at AFCON, but he featured in all but one game.
The 18-year-old winger has already made 10 appearances for his country, scoring three goals and providing five assists. He is not yet a truly elite player, but the potential is evident.
If he can get on the pitch and impress at the World Cup, he could secure a transfer to a club team that lets him play regularly.
Kerim Alajbegovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Another 18-year-old winger, Kerim Alajbegovic has become a star in his native Bosnia and Herzegovina seemingly overnight. Well, maybe it wasn't that fast, but his emergence has been quite stunning.
The Cologne-born attacker left Bayer Leverkusen to join RB Salzburg last summer, and he hit like a bomb in Austria. Alajbegovic bagged 13 goals and set up his teammates four times across all competitions in 2025/26.
As a result, Leverkusen have decided to exercise the buy-back option they inserted in the teenager's deal after just one season. Whether he actually plays for the Bundesliga side next season is still up in the air, as AS Roma and Chelsea have been linked with him.
The teenager made his senior debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 2025 and immediately found the back of the net in a 6-0 win over San Marino. He has since been a regular fixture in the team.
In order to qualify for the World Cup, the Bosnians had to take the long route via the playoffs against Wales and Italy. Alajbegovic showed his big-game mettle in both fixtures.
He set up legendary striker Edin Dzeko for his country's equaliser against Wales and then stepped up and converted his penalty in the ensuing shootout. The final with Italy also went to spot-kicks, with the youngster again taking responsibility and finding the back of the net.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will fancy their chances in a group with Canada, Switzerland and Qatar - and Alajbegovic could have a few big moments this summer.
Gilberto Mora (Mexico)
We mentioned Gilberto Mora in the intro, but he definitely deserves his own section in this article. After all, the Mexico starlet is the youngest player at this summer's finals.
Mora became the youngest-ever debutant for El Tri when he featured in last summer's Gold Cup, but he had actually already made his unofficial debut for the national team several months earlier in January - in a friendly against Brazilian club team Internacional.
He started in the Gold Cup final against the US, which really put his name on the map. The 17-year-old plays his club football for Tijuana, where he has already made more than half a century of senior appearances, having made his debut aged 15.
Mora has scored 10 goals in his 53 games for Los Xolos, with six of them coming over the past year. Despite this, his World Cup participation was actually in doubt because he missed most of Liga MX's recent Clausura because of a sports hernia.
However, Mora is now back to full fitness and ready to star for El Tri. The versatile, attack-minded midfielder has been used in a variety of roles, so it is perhaps not quite clear yet what his truly best position is, but it is clear that the teenager has a bright future ahead of him.
He turns 18 in October, which means that he will be able to move to Europe next year. A big transfer is inevitable - and a strong World Cup will only boost his chances of joining a European giant.
