10 wonderkids who could make their name at the 2026 World Cup - including Man Utd & Newcastle targets

Every four years, the World Cup makes stars of some of the world’s most talented young players, catapulting them into the spotlight and bringing them to the attention of the game’s biggest clubs. Watching potential be realised in real time on football’s grandest stage is often one of the most exciting things about the tournament – and the 2026 edition will be no different.

With just days to go before the big kick-off, we’ve picked out 10 young players who could become household names in the coming weeks as they display their talent at the highest level of all. We’ve passed over the more familiar names – nobody really needs to be told that Lamine Yamal or Desiré Doué could be quite good one day – in favour of shining a light on players who are yet to hit the heights, but who have all of the talent required to do so this summer.

Gilberto Mora – Mexico

We could see the prodigiously talented Mora in action on day one when Mexico take on South Africa in the opening match of the tournament – and the progress of the Tijuana midfielder, the youngest player in the tournament at just 17 years old, could certainly be among the most exciting subplots of the World Cup.

The youngest player ever to score in Liga MX, Mora already has seven caps for his country and started the final when Mexico won the Concacaf Gold Cup last year. Able to play on the left wing or as a number 10, Mora has lightning fast feet, a killer final ball and a potent shot in his right foot.

Expect fireworks from a player so young that he couldn’t be included in a Corona advert which featured many of his team-mates – instead, the beer brand included a shot of some blackberries, the fruit being the literal translation of the teenager’s surname. Sufficed to say that the co-hosts are very excited indeed about Mora, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona already.

Can Uzun – Turkey

Having narrowly missed out on a place in Turkey’s Euro 2024 squad, Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Uzun will finally get his shot at a major tournament this summer and enters the World Cup in fine fettle, having scored three in his last four games – including a goal and an assist in Turkey’s warm-up match against North Macedonia.

Primarily a hard-working playmaker with an eye for a pass, Uzun has also been lethal in front of goal this season, scoring eight times in the Bundesliga from just 3.93xG’s worth of chances, including a rocket against Werder Bremen which kick-started a stunning run of form towards the end of last summer.

Able to operate as an inside winger on the left or as a number 10, the 20-year-old Uzun may start the tournament on the bench as he has the misfortune to be competing for roles which are typically occupied by Kenan Yildiz and Arda Güler, both youngsters who have already made themselves stars at Juventus and Real Madrid respectively. Given a chance, however, Uzun could put his name up in lights alongside his more famous team-mates.

Christ Inao Oulaï – Ivory Coast

Inao Oulaï won’t generate half as many headlines as team-mate Yan Diomandé in the build-up to the tournament and certainly isn’t as flashy as his team-mate, who is allegedly a big-money target for Liverpool this summer, but the Trabzonspor midfielder has done enough in his short career to suggest that he, too, could wind up on several elite sides’ radars.

A ferociously hard-working box-to-box midfielder who has been linked with Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, the 20-year-old was a member of the Ivory Coast’s AFCON squad around the turn of the year but didn’t get on the field – but his ability to both force turnovers and pick a pass are likely to stand out if he gets a chance in North America.

His Premier League suitors may be disappointed regardless of his performances, however – Inao Oulaï, who played for Bastia before moving to Turkey last summer, has already told the press that he is “not attracted” to the Premier League and is hoping to earn a move to PSG instead. Perhaps a strong World Cup will help him realise that particular ambition.

Joaquin Seys – Belgium

An attacking left-back who picked up two goals and five assists for Club Brugge in the Pro League this season, Seys will be hoping to pip Brighton’s Maxim de Cuyper to the starting role when Belgium get their tournament underway – but could well be competing against his team-mate next season, with several English sides said to be keen.

A combination of intelligent defensive positioning, strong running and a fine cross mean that he can impact all three phases of play and he seems to be almost impossible to dribble past – qualities which appear to have recommended him to Manchester United, Porto and Newcastle.

Seys was a substitute for both of Belgium’s warm-up matches but is likely to get some gametime at some point, especially as he’s strong with both feet and capable of playing at right-back as well. Watch out, too, for Lille winger Matías Fernandez-Pardo, another 21-year-old Newcastle target who received a call-up despite having not yet earned a cap for his country.

Kendry Páez – Ecuador

Perhaps the most talented player Ecuador have ever produced, Páez is already on the books at Chelsea but faces a crucial phase in his career – now 19, the prodigiously talented attacking midfielder must prove that he can cut it at the highest level after a couple of difficult loan spells and demonstrate that stories about his allegedly wild lifestyle have been put behind him. The World Cup could be his chance to do just that.

The diminutive Páez’s stunning dribbling skills and otherworldly creativity convinced Chelsea to spend more than £17m on him last year but temporary spells at RC Strasbourg and River Plate have been frustrating and he has yet to find consistency or demonstrate that he can handle the physical demands of the game at the top level.

His reputation hasn’t been helped by the fact that Páez, who was warned by Ecuador after he was spotted in a New York strip club at the age of 16, was accused by L’Equipe of a lack of professionalism at Strasbourg and of spending too many nights out on the tiles. That hasn’t prevented his country from calling him up – he already has 25 caps to his name – but he needs to show that he’s going to put his undoubted talent to better use.

Ibrahim Maza – Algeria

The 20-year-old playmaker cost Bayer Leverkusen a reported £10m when they signed him from second-tier Hertha Berlin a year ago and he started his Bundesliga career off at a canter, scoring three times and providing three assists (including one against Manchester City in the Champions League) before forcing his way into Algeria’s line-up for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Since then, Maza, who scored twice in Morocco over the winter, has gone a little quiet, missing more presentable chances than he’s scored – he only has one goal in the last four months – but he remains an excellent dribbler and a natural pivot around which Algeria’s midfield can operate.

If he can rediscover his best form over the summer and play as well as he did at AFCON, then he represents perhaps Algeria’s best chance of getting out of a group which also includes Argentina, Austria and debutants Jordan.

Caleb Yirenkyi – Ghana

A product of the prodigious Right To Dream academy, which has produced a string of exciting African talents for his club side Nordsjælland, Yirenkyi has been outstanding as a defensive midfielder who covers every last blade of grass in Denmark – but could start the World Cup as Ghana’s first-choice right-back instead.

Exceptionally effective off the ball and a player whose relentless energy and ability to win back possession time and time again, Yirenkyi draws an irresistible comparison to N’golo Kanté and his precise passing earned him six assists in the Superliga despite playing in a relatively deep role.

As a full-back, he’s more of a defender than a major threat on the overlap but he’s still a strong ball carrier who could test out Nico O’Reilly when Ghana face England in the group stages, and he’ll certainly give Anthony Gordon a rough ride at the back. Porto are said to be keen to sign him this summer, but he could earn many more admirers if he can carry his exceptional club form into the World Cup.

Luka Vušković – Croatia

Another gifted defensive player that England will have to find a way past if they want to progress this summer, Vušković signed for Tottenham Hotspur last summer but has been so impressive on loan at Hamburg that he may well never play in their colours – because Barcelona are reportedly keen to sign him in the coming transfer window.

Tall, utterly dominant in the air, positionally exceptional and outstanding when defending one-on-one in the Bundesliga this season, the 19-year-old seems set to start at centre-back for Croatia and has drawn stylistic comparisons with Gerard Piqué which may not flatter him too much. Any England scouts searching for weaknesses are likely to draw a blank.

The fourth generation of his family to play professionally, Vušković is also a significant threat from set pieces who scored six times in the league for Hamburg and scored the equaliser in a March friendly against Colombia. Harry Kane could have his work cut out – and England’s defenders may find him a handful from dead ball situations, too.

Kerim Alajbegović – Bosnia & Herzegovina

The 18-year-old left winger enjoyed a breakout season in Austria with Red Bull Salzburg this season after joining them from Leverkusen, scoring nine goals (many of them from seemingly implausible positions) and providing three assists as he forced his way into his country’s squad with plenty of style and the confidence to take defenders on – and beat them.

So impressive was Alajbegović’s form in Austria that Leverkusen have already agreed a deal to sign their own academy product back after just one year away. For his country he has earned nine caps, scoring on debut against San Marino and starting as Bosnia & Herzegovina knocked Italy out in the play-offs. Welsh fans may also recall him providing the assist for Edin Džeko’s late equaliser in March, too.

Direct, thrilling to watch and genuinely two-footed, Alajbegović can be guilty of trying to for the spectacular a little too often, but his goalscoring record provides plenty of reason for his willingness to try something special. Whatever he does in the World Cup, it’s unlikely to be boring.

Ibrahim Mbaye – Senegal

An 18-year-old winger with enough talent to have made 29 appearances for PSG this season – he was an unused substitute for the Champions League final win over Arsenal – Mbaye is an explosive talent who seems set for a starring role with Senegal this summer.

Able to play on either flank and blessed with a stunning turn of pace, Mbaye isn’t likely to be the most consistent performer at the World Cup but could be one of the most thrilling, and seldom shies away from an opportunity to bring his dynamism, quick feet and dribbling skills to bear on opposing defenders.

Mbaye doesn’t always make the best decision in the final third and can be outmuscled by more robust defenders, but Mbaye is an irrepressible figure who already has 10 caps and three goals for Senegal, for whom he now plays after coming through the age group ranks with France. An immense talent with plenty of rough edges to sand off but who promises to be a joy to watch. Keep an eye out for young Como striker Assane Diao, too.