FULL LIST: 20 young stars to watch at 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be more than just a battle between established powers.

It is also becoming a showcase for a new generation of international talent, young players and emerging stars who are stepping out of academy systems, breakthrough seasons, and youth tournaments and into football’s biggest spotlight.

Across different continents, national teams are turning to fresh faces who have already begun to make an impression at club level.

Some are teenagers who have only just broken into senior football, while others are slightly older prospects who are finally translating early promise into consistent performances.

What unites them is the sense that this tournament could define the next stage of their careers.

As reported by BBC Sport on Tuesday, these are the top 20 new players to watch at the 2026 World Cup scheduled to hold on June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

1: Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast)
Age: 19 Position: Winger Club: RB Leipzig

Diomande has been linked with Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich but Leipzig insist he is not for sale and reportedly value him at more than 130m euros (£112m)

The winner of the Bundesliga rookie of the season award, Diomande only joined from Spanish side Leganes in July 2025 for a bargain 20m euros (£17.2m) and promptly registered 21 goal contributions (12 goals and nine assists) in 33 league appearances to help Leipzig qualify for the Champions League.

2. Gilberto Mora (Mexico)
Age: 17 Position: Midfielder Club: Tijuana

Mora was nicknamed ‘The Mexican Pedri’, ‘The Mexican Pearl’ and ‘Crackito’ (which translates to ‘Little Maestro’) by the Spanish press after he starred against Spain at last year’s Under-20 World Cup. He has been linked with a move to Europe and is reportedly on the radar of Real Madrid and Manchester City

3. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
Age: 20 Position: Midfielder Club: SC Freiburg

Manzambi wanted to be a goalkeeper when he was a boy and grew up idolising Germany legend Manuel Neuer. Where will he play for Switzerland this summer?

Manzambi can play in various positions in midfield and is pretty good in the final third too. He carries the ball really well and I know the Swiss fans have got big hopes for him – Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka has done an interview praising him as well.

4. Ricardo Pepi (United States)
Age: 23 Position: Striker Club: PSV Eindhoven

He banged in 19 goals, including six in his last five games, as PSV won last season’s Dutch title. Pepi also has 13 goals in 35 internationals but only played 36 minutes for the US between November 2024 and April this year, which seems strange.

5. Nico Paz (Argentina)
Age: 21 Position: Midfielder Club: Como

Paz has been known to emulate Lionel Messi’s iconic goal celebration by pointing to the sky with both hands after scoring (left) but during his recent run of finding the net in Serie A, he preferred to cover his face with his hands and use ‘the mask’ (right)

Because he’s left-footed and because he’s a number 10, the Messi comparisons started a while back. I wouldn’t go down that line because he has got a long, long way to go but his favourite position is just behind the striker and he can drift out to the left as well.

6. Gessime Yassine (Morocco)
Age: 20 Position: Right-winger Club: Strasbourg

He helped his nation win the Under-20 World Cup under new Morocco head coach Mohammed Ouhabi, who replaced Walid Regragui after the latter surprisingly departed after the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in January.

Gessime has featured in all their recent friendlies since, making his debut against Ecuador in March as he attempts to break into a side that reached the semi-finals in Qatar.

7. Lucas Herrington (Australia)
Age: 18 Position: Centre-back Club: Colorado Rapids

Herrington is the youngest player to have been selected in an Australian World Cup squad for any of their seven appearances at finals

He is from Brisbane and only moved to the US in January for a club-record fee, and has done well enough in Major League Soccer to win a place in the Australian World Cup squad.

8. Kerim Alajbegovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Age: 18 Position: Winger Club: Red Bull Salzburg

He was not even born when Bosnia icon Edin Dzeko made his senior international debut in June 2007.

Despite his young age, he has already proved that he can hold his nerve on the big stage, scoring the winning penalty in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s play-off semi-final against Wales. He also scored in the shootout victory over Italy in the final.

9. Can Uzun (Turkey)
Age: 20 Position: Midfielder Club: Eintracht Frankfurt

Uzun chose to represent Turkey rather than Germany and was handed his senior international debut in 2024, when he was playing for Nuremburg in Bundesliga 2

He scored five goals and provided three assists in Frankfurt’s first five Bundesliga games of last season, only for hamstring injuries to limit his involvement through the winter.

A playmaker for his club, he is yet to nail down that position for his country with manager Vincenzo Montella likely to see him as an option from the bench should anything befall Orkun Kokcu or Kenan Yildiz.

10. Armando Gonzalez (Mexico)
Age: 23 Position: Striker Club: Chivas de Guadalajara

Gonzalez was nicknamed ‘La Hormiga’ (Spanish for ‘The Ant’) by his uncle because of a childhood fear of the insects

John Murray: Gonzalez, who scored 25 goals for Guadalajara last season, won his first cap for Mexico in November and scored his first international goal in February.

They say he has something of Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez about him and he will doubtless have learned from the former Manchester United and West Ham striker who returned to Guadalajara to end his playing career just as Gonzalez was maturing.

11. Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco)
Age: 18 Position: Midfielder Club: Lille

Bouaddi, who is reportedly a long-term target of Arsenal, is studying for a degree in mathematics and was nicknamed ‘Einstein’ when he played for France Under-21s because of his intelligence on and off the pitch

Bouaddi made his debut for Lille in the Conference League three days after turning 16 and has played Champions League and Europa League football too, so he has a lot of experience and maturity already.

12. Houssem Aouar (Algeria)
Age: 27 Position: Midfielder Club: Al-Ittihad

Aouar made one senior appearance for France in a friendly against Ukraine in 2020 before switching to play for Algeria in 2023

A gifted midfield playmaker who scored 15 goals this season for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, he has rediscovered the form that made him one of Europe’s hottest properties a few years ago.

13. Alessandro Circati (Australia)
Age: 22 Position: Centre-back Club: Parma

Cirati was born in Fidenza, a town in the province of Parma, but moved to Australia as an infant when his father Gianfranco – who is also a footballer – left Italy to play for Perth Glory.

The former Italy youth international, who moved to Australia as a one-year-old, became the Socceroos’ youngest captain since 1981 when he took the armband against New Zealand last September, and is set to be a key part of their backline.

14. Ali Jasim (Iraq)
Age: 22 Position: Left-winger Club: Como (loaned to Al-Najma in 2025-26)

Como took a look and quickly loaned him to the Netherlands and then to Saudi Arabia, where he seems to have settled with Al-Najma.

Iraq’s Australian coach Graham Arnold has consistently selected him over the past 12 months and Jasim is one who may catch the eye in a side given the daunting task of taking on Norway, France and Senegal in Group I.

15. Mohamed Amoura (Algeria)
Age: 26 Position: Striker or winger Club: Wolfsburg

Amoura’s 10 goals made him the top-scorer in the African qualifiers for the World Cup, ahead of Mohamed Salah, who hit nine for Egypt

He will lead the Fennecs’ attack this summer and can also play wide left.

16. Luis Suarez (Colombia)
Age: 28 Position: Striker Club: Sporting

Suarez got off the mark at international level in September last year when he scored four goals in a 6-3 World Cup qualifying win over Venezuela. He scored his fifth goal for his country last week in a friendly victory over Costa Rica

He had big boots to fill as well after Viktor Gyokeres departed for Arsenal with the Colombian his direct replacement.

Suarez also set up another nine goals in an impressive maiden season after arriving in Lisbon from Almeria in the Spanish second tier. Now he looks to take this World Cup by storm.

17.Brian Gutierrez (Mexico)
Age: 22 Position: Midfielder Club: Chivas de Guadalajara

Gutierrez turns 23 on 17 June, two days before Mexico’s second match in Group A against South Korea at Estadio Guadalajara, which is the home of his club side

Gutierrez moved from Chicago Fire to Guadalajara in January and helped them reach the title play-off round semi-final of Liga MX.

He has played a role in seven of Mexico’s eight games in 2026, operating as a bright spark in a 4-1-4-1 formation, and could get the home crowd really excited.

18. Bazoumana Toure (Ivory Coast)
Age: 20 Position: Left-winger Club: Hoffenheim

Toure’s blistering pace has seen him nicknamed ‘The Hurricane’ and Manchester United and Newcastle United are reportedly among the English clubs interested in signing him.

The left-winger joined Hoffenheim from Swedish side Hammarby in January of 2025 and fairly soon after the phrase ‘Bazoumania’ was coined.

In 30 league games this season, he has provided 12 assists for Hoffenheim and also scored twice in three substitute appearances at last winter’s Afcon, leading to calls for national coach Emerse Fae to find a place for him in their starting XI.

19. Ibrahim Maza (Algeria)
Age: 20 Position: Midfielder Club: Bayer Leverkusen

Maza played for Germany up to under-20 level before deciding to play for Algeria in 2024. He is nicknamed ‘Mazadona’ after Argentina legend Diego, for his skilful play

The young Berliner is a gifted attacking midfielder who can also play up top. There is far more to come from him

He is a technician who likes to get on the ball in those areas between midfield and defence and, already in Algeria, they are making comparisons between him and Riyad Mahrez, who has obviously been the poster boy of their national team for a long time.

20. Luka Vuskovic (Croatia)
Age: 19 Position: Centre-back Club: Tottenham (loaned to Hamburg 2025-26)

Spurs paid around £12m for Vuskovic but he is yet to make an appearance for them

He spent last season on loan at Hamburg not only forging a reputation as a commanding central defensive presence but also popping up with six goals.

He will return to Spurs after the World Cup expecting to play.