2026 World Cup: Best Young Players to Watch This Summer
16-03-2026
Brazil fans at the World Cup - Source: Pixabay
The FIFA World Cup is a stage where stars are born. A 17-year-old Brazilian by the name of Pelé starred back in 1958, leading the Seleção to the title with six goals, including a hat trick in the semifinals and a brace in the final. In the years since, plenty have followed in his footsteps, most recently Argentina`s Enzo Fernandez. The central midfielder was named the best young player of the tournament in Qatar four years ago as he helped the Albiceleste
past France in the final, going on to secure a record-breaking €121m move to Chelsea weeks later.
This summer, a slew of new stars are poised to venture onto the global stage for the very first time. But which of them should you keep your eyes on? Let`s take a look.
Lamine Yamal
Despite being just 18 years of age, Lamine Yamal is already a household name. The mercurial Spanish winger has more goals and assists than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo combined at his age, and he is only getting better.
The teenage sensation is already the first name on the team sheet for his club, Barcelona. Last term, he helped the Blaugrana to a famous domestic treble, including four victories over rivals Real Madrid. This term, he is posting career-best numbers as he looks to help the Catalonians defend their La Liga crown. In less than three months, he will be taking his talents to the international stage once again.
Yamal first made his presence felt with the Spanish national team at Euro 2024 two years ago. Despite only turning 17 midway through the tournament, the left-footed magician started all but one of La Roja`s games en route to the final, netting a brilliant winner against France in the semis. Spain would go on to down England in the Berlin final to claim a record-breaking fourth European crown, and now the bookies make them the favorites to replicate those exploits on the global stage.
The popular
Lucky Rebel sportsbook currently lists Spain as the 9/2 favorites to win the World Cup this summer. If Yamal continues to perform at the level he has displayed at the Camp Nou this term, they will certainly take some stopping.
Estêvão
It seems Brazilian hopes always rely on the slender shoulders of a young wonderkid. Almost 70 years ago, it was Pele. When they hosted the tournament in 2014, it was Neymar. This summer, it`s Estêvão. And boy does he have his work cut out.
The Seleção find themselves in an unusual place heading into the 2026 World Cup. The record five-time champions stumbled their way through qualifying, very nearly missing out before reeling off a three-game unbeaten streak towards the end of the campaign. However, they are most definitely not the force of old, and their squad misses the samba superstars that fans have come to expect.
Neymar is now 34 and a shadow of the player he once was. He has been
called back up to the squad for warm-up games against France and Croatia, but there is no guarantee that he will make the cut for Carlo Ancelotti`s final 26-man squad. Add to that the fact that Real Madrid Vinicius Junior has been badly out of form this season, and the onus falls on young Estêvão to fire Brazil to glory.
The 18-year-old has looked the part since swapping boyhood club Palmeiras for English giants Chelsea in the summer. He has netted seven goals in all competitions so far this season, including winners against Liverpool and Barcelona. If the Seleção are to live up to their 8/1 World Cup winner odds, then Estêvão will have a huge part to play.
Lennart Karl
Germany has delivered miserable performances in each of their last two visits to the World Cup. In 2018, they fell victim to the champions` curse, suffering a shocking group stage exit after defeats to Mexico and South Korea, despite entering as defending champions. Four years later, a stunning defeat to Japan consigned them to an early exit once again.
Euro 2024 saw Die Mannschaft enter a new era, with young stars such as Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz coming to the fore. Two years on, they have another young midfielder poised and ready for a breakout in the form of Bayern Munich`s 18-year-old Lennart Karl. The teenager emerged from out of nowhere to break into the first team at the Allianz Arena this season, providing four goals and three assists in 21 appearances. He is still uncapped for the national team; however, he is highly expected to force his way into manager Julian Nagelsmann`s plans before this summer.
Lining up alongside the aforementioned Musiala and Wirtz, Germany will have a fearless young squad primed and ready to vanquish the memories of those back-to-back group stage exits. Back in 2010, they had a similar crop of youngsters featuring the likes of Mesut Ozil and Manuel Neuer, and they proceeded to reach the semifinals. Could a similar effort be incoming 16 years on?
