Ten youngsters who could dominate on their World Cup debut | OneFootball

The expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico could provide the perfect platform for the next generation of stars to shine on the biggest stage of all.

From teenage sensations to eventual Ballon d’Or winners, the World Cup has often introduced football’s next generation of superstars to a global audience.

Here, FromTheSpot presents the ten most exciting players aged 23 and under that could make their World Cup debut and impress the masses while playing in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

10. Endrick (19) – Brazil

Already tipped as Brazil’s next superstar, Endrick has handled enormous expectations from a very young age remarkably well.

The 19-year-old Real Madrid striker has enjoyed a strong first season in European football, notching five goals and seven assists while on loan at French side Lyon, which could see him become one of the faces of the tournament in 2026.

His pace, movement and finishing ability could make him one of the World Cup’s breakout stars and someone who fans will likely see again for several more World Cups in the future.

9. Kobbie Mainoo (21) – England

Mainoo is regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in the Premier League and perhaps all of Europe, and has flourished for Manchester United under Michael Carrick.

He has become a key player for United, starting every match under Carrick since he arrived at Old Trafford and beat rivals Manchester City on his first game back in the dugout as interim manager.

The upturn in form for players like Mainoo was crucial in the 44-year-old’s audition for the full-time job, which he was ultimately rewarded with at the end of the season.

His composure and intelligence in midfield have quickly made him one of England’s brightest young talents and he could feature regularly for England in the World Cup, but has much competition for his place in holding midfield.

8. Ibrahim Mbaye (18) – Senegal

Ibrahim Mbaye is one of the most exciting emerging talents in African football and is being monitored as another potential breakout star ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 18-year-old is among Ligue 1’s and Paris Saint-Germain’s most promising young attackers, impressing with his pace, the directness of his dribbling and sharp attacking instinct.

He was trusted with 10 starts this season by PSG manager Luis Enrique, scoring three goals and playing an important role in his incessant squad rotations in order to preserve senior members of the team for the biggest fixtures.

Yet Mbaye, who is viewed as part of Senegal’s next generation of attacking talent, may well become one of those players for the Parisians in future if his development continues at its current rate.

7. Pau Cubarsí (19) – Spain

Cubarsí has dazzled this season with his composure and maturity, quickly establishing himself as one of Barcelona’s best centre-backs as they stormed to the 2025/26 La Liga title.

He has emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting young defenders, remaining calm in possession and showing maturity well beyond his years over the course of 31 league appearances this season.

The La Masia graduate featured in Barcelona’s starting line up 19 times in his first senior campaign with the Catalonian side and may well prove to be a key figure in Spain’s back line at this year’s World Cup tournament.

6. Elliot Anderson (23) – England

The Three Lions are once again gifted with a golden generation, and few have made as much of an impression on manager Thomas Tuchel since his appointment in last January than Elliot Anderson.

Still a Nottingham Forest player, though being lined up for a move to Manchester City valued in the region of £105m and rivals United looking to hijack, Anderson has had a fantastic season at the City Ground.

The 23-year-old featured in every Premier League game for Forest this season, starting 37 matches and missing just a single one, he has been an ever-present source of stability in midfield as they staved off a relegation scrap.

What makes his consistency all the more impressive is the fact he has played under no less than four managers this season, with Forest dismissing Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, and Sean Dyche before hiring Vitor Pereira.

Raking up over 3,000 minutes this campaign, Anderson scored four goals and assisted as many times, possessing quite the eye for a pass and a wicked cross, is able to carry the ball with confidence, and wins his individual duels.

He has often been paired with Arsenal midfielder and England vice-captain Declan Rice in the middle of the park, and it is anticipated that this won’t change heading into the World Cup finals and their quest to end 60 years of hurt.

5. Nico Paz (21) – Argentina

Part of a truly memorable season for Serie A side Como, 21-year-old Nico Paz has been one of the stars of the show in one of the best stories from the 2025/26 made in Lombardy.

Registering 12 goals and 6 assists to aid Cesc Fabregas’ side to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, some fans of Real Madrid might have been left scratching their heads as to why he was let go.

Valued at £56m, he has already made seven appearances and found his maiden international goal for Argentina and despite his young age could prove to be a key asset in the world champions’ defence of their crown in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

4. Nico O’Reilly – England

Much like Elliot Anderson, there is just as much reason to get excited about a young talent already on the Manchester City books and who has really impressed in the Premier League this season.

O’Reilly has continued modern football’s trend of redefining the full-back positions, scoring five goals and assisting three times during the 2025/26 season under former boss Pep Guardiola – often found in dangerous inverted positions.

Both a formidable defender and a genuine threat in front of goal, the defender worth an estimated £50m in today’s market is much that the 21-year-old can offer Thomas Tuchel on his World Cup debut.

3. Joao Neves (21) – Portugal

Joao Neves is a gifted footballer. Quick, agile, and technically gifted, he has enjoyed his most influential season yet for Paris Saint-Germain on their way to a Ligue 1 and Champions League triumph.

The 21-year-old has become a key figure for PSG and has established himself as one of Europe’s brightest young midfielders alongside his Portugal teammate Vitinha and Spain’s Fabián Ruiz at the heart of Enrique’s team.

Neves has impressed with his relentless energy, composure and technical quality in midfield, key attributes that several figures in Portugal’s side also possess, and he will also be central to their ambitions at the World Cup.

2. Désiré Doué (21) – France

Désiré Doué has been dubbed one of the new talismans of French football, emerging through PSG’s ranks and now expected to play a key role at the World Cup for favourites France.

He is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world, with versatility that allows him to operate centrally, deeper in midfield, on either wing, and even as a striker.

Doué’s excellent dribbling, shooting and passing ability makes him a constant attacking threat, and with France national football team expected to challenge for the trophy, he could thrive on the biggest stage in North America.

He has been in fine form in the league with 11 goal involvements for PSG, having exploded onto the scene in last year’s Champions League final demolition of Inter Milan and has progressed significantly ever since.

1. Lamine Yamal (18) – Spain

He had to take the top spot. Helping Spain to win Euro 2024 at just 16 years of age and scoring some scintillating goals on the way, Lamine Yamal is the best young player at the World Cup and will no doubt play like it too.

Yamal holds the title as his country’s youngest goalscorer, finding the net in Spain’s 7-1 dismantling of Georgia in a qualifying match back in 2023, and is already considered not far off being one of world football’s best players.

He is the second player on this list to have come through La Masia, underlining Barcelona’s youth academy as one of the best in world football – but with its greatest ever graduate Lionel Messi also set to play, this was already well-known.

Now 18, the Spaniard is tasked with helping to lead Spain to World Cup glory for the first time since the 2010 tournament in South Africa, and with 27 goal involvements and a La Liga title under his belt he is in the best possible form to do so.

For more detailed reports, reaction, and analysis of the 2026 World Cup as it unfolds across the US, Canada, and Mexico head to our website and OneFootball page.