The Young Stars Who Could Use the World Cup 2026 to Present Their Skills | OneFootball

The World Cup 2026 is almost upon us. Within days, the opening whistle will mark the start of the largest football tournament in history: 48 nations competing across three countries.

According to platforms that offer the opportunity to bet on World Cup 2026, the market has already settled on the favourites: Spain, France, and England lead the field, with Spain currently considered the most likely winner given the consistency and quality of their football over the past two years. France bring their familiar depth, and England arrive with genuine expectations backed by a strong squad.

But amid all the focus on the frontrunners, one of the most compelling storylines of any World Cup tends to receive less attention than it deserves: what the tournament can do for a young player’s career. The clearest recent example is Josko Gvardiol. His performances for Croatia at the 2022 World Cup were commanding and assured enough to attract the attention of the biggest clubs in European football. Within a year, Manchester City had made him one of the most expensive defenders ever purchased.

This tournament will do the same for someone. Possibly for several players. Below is a look at seven young talents most likely to use the World Cup 2026 as exactly that kind of moment.

World Cup 2026: An Overview of the Most Talented Young Players

Seven players stand out as the most compelling young candidates at this tournament. They represent different positions, continents, and stages of development, but each has the potential to deliver performances that shift how the football world views them.

Kenan Yildiz

Turkey have not appeared at a World Cup since 2002, when they reached the semi-finals and finished third. Twenty-four years on, they return to football’s biggest competition with a squad built around one player above all others: Kenan Yildiz.

The Juventus attacking midfielder, born in Germany and developed through Italian club football, has already made his mark in Serie A.

At 21, Yildiz has the technical ability to play as a winger or in a central attacking role, and his movement in tight spaces regularly causes problems at the club level. For Turkey, this World Cup represents a national occasion unlike any they have experienced in over two decades, and Yildiz is the player expected to be at its centre. Whether he can carry that expectation across a full tournament under real pressure will say a great deal about where his career goes from here.

Luka Vuskovic

Signed by Tottenham Hotspur and loaned immediately to Hamburger SV, Luka Vuskovic spent his debut senior season in the Bundesliga and made 27 appearances, contributing six goals, which is a remarkable return for a 19-year-old defender at that level.

He was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Month on four separate occasions across the campaign, reflecting not just a strong start but consistent, sustained quality over a full season.

Vuskovic is a dominant aerial presence and a genuine set-piece threat at both ends of the pitch. Reports of interest from Bayern Munich have already emerged, a meaningful signal of how the wider European market rates his development. For Croatia, he fits into Zlatko Dalic’s plans for a back-three system and is expected to feature prominently throughout the tournament. A strong World Cup showing would almost certainly accelerate the transfer conversation that is clearly already underway.

Gilberto Mora

There are breakout candidates, and then there is Gilberto Mora. The Club Tijuana midfielder was 15 years old when he became the youngest scorer in the history of Mexico’s professional league, a record that, in most careers, would stand as the defining early achievement. For Mora, it proved to be an opening act.

Still only 16 by mid-2025, he became the youngest player ever to make a senior debut for the Mexican national team. Now 17, Mora arrives at the full senior tournament with more meaningful international experience than many players a decade older. His composure in possession and his instinct in front of goal are the qualities that set him apart.

A platform as large as this one could introduce him to a global audience that has had limited chances to watch him so far.

Nico Paz

Argentina will enter this tournament knowing that Lionel Messi’s international career is drawing to a close. The 38-year-old himself has confirmed that this is his final World Cup, which makes the question of who will lead Argentina’s attack in the years that follow both inevitable and significant. Among the candidates under discussion, Nico Paz is the name that comes up most consistently.

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder had a standout season at Como: 12 goals and seven assists in Serie A, while helping the club reach European competition for the first time in their history.

Cesc Fabregas, his manager at club level, has spoken about Paz’s ability to operate across multiple positions, dropping deep into midfield or pushing into the final third depending on the game situation. That kind of adaptability is valuable in international football, where space is harder to find, and the opposition is better organized than at the club level. This World Cup is unlikely to mark Paz’s full arrival as Argentina’s primary creative force, but it could be the tournament where he establishes himself as the most credible long-term option for that role.

Rayan

Brazilian football has a well-established tradition of producing exciting young wide attackers, and Rayan is the latest to arrive at a major tournament with genuine credentials.

After a breakthrough season at Vasco da Gama, the 19-year-old moved to Bournemouth, where he scored five goals and added two assists in 15 Premier League appearances. His contribution was part of the reason Bournemouth secured European qualification for the first time in the club’s history.

Included in Brazil’s World Cup squad partly as a result of injuries to other forwards, Rayan quickly demonstrated that he deserved his place on his own merits. Brazil have strong attacking options throughout the squad, but Rayan’s movement in behind and effectiveness in transition give him a profile that could prove highly useful at different stages of the competition.

Nico O’Reilly

England arrive at this tournament as genuine contenders, carrying a squad full of Premier League experience and real quality across every position. Within that group, Nico O’Reilly may be the player who attracts the most attention from neutral observers looking for something new.

The Manchester City midfielder produced his best season to date in 2025-26 (nine goals, six assists, and over 50 appearances under Pep Guardiola), playing both as a left-back and as an attacking midfielder at different points throughout the campaign.

That positional flexibility is exactly what gives him a chance to contribute meaningfully for England. Thomas Tuchel will have strong options at every position, but a player who can cover multiple roles without losing effectiveness is particularly valuable at a tournament where injuries and tactical adjustments are always part of the picture. At 21, O’Reilly has enough experience at the top level to handle the pressure of major tournament football.

Lennart Karl

Germany enter the World Cup 2026  in a phase of transition, but they bring at least one player who represents genuine forward-thinking excitement: 18-year-old Lennart Karl.

After progressing through the youth system, Karl broke into the Bayern Munich first team this season and delivered nine goals and eight assists across all competitions.

Quick, technically polished, and equally comfortable playing centrally or from wide areas, Karl gives Julian Nagelsmann a different kind of attacking option within the squad. His compact build helps him operate in tight spaces effectively, and his movement and timing off the ball are already well beyond what you would typically expect from his age group.

He may not be a guaranteed starter for Germany throughout the group stage, but his ability to alter the dynamics of a match when introduced from the bench is a real asset.