In the next edition of the World Cup, all eyes will be on the many talented teenage players, whom the fans of their country are counting on to provide the best possible performance, similar to what they performed with their clubs in the 2025-2026 season.
Perhaps the most prominent of these names are Lamine Yamal, the young Barcelona star, and Lennart Karl, the Bayern Munich player, both (18 years old), in addition to Paris Saint-Germain duo Warren-Zaire Emery (20 years old) and Desiree Doue (21 years old), and others.
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In addition to these players, Mexican player Gilberto Moura also stands out from Tijuana, who will be the youngest player in the 23rd edition of the World Cup, according to what the American network ESPN reported.
At the start of the tournament scheduled for June 11, Moura – who is expected to participate with Mexico against South Africa in the opening match – will be 17 years and 240 days old.
Moura is the youngest of 22 teenage players, out of 1,248 players in general, according to the official lists of the 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup.
The 10 youngest players in World Cup history
Since its first launch in 1930, the World Cup has witnessed moments in which teenage players outshined the stars, and not only that, but they achieved an amazing start that was engraved in the minds of football fans and will remain entrenched forever.
The most prominent of these names are the late Brazilian football legend Pele and the French star Kylian Mbappé, currently a Real Madrid player, who won the 1958 and 2018 World Cups with their countries, respectively, in their first World Cup participation, despite their young age.
In general, there are many players who participated in World Cup matches at a young age.
In the following lines, we highlight the 10 youngest players in the history of the World Cup, based on data from the famous Transfermarkt website.
Australian Garang Cole
He participated in his country’s match against France in the first round of the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, on November 22, at the age of 18 years, two months and 17 days.
Cole entered the Al Janoub Stadium field in the 74th minute when he replaced his compatriot Craig Goodwin, noting that the match ended in a harsh defeat for the Australians, settling at 1-4.
Brazilian Carvalho Leite
He wore the “Seleção” shirt against Bolivia in the group stage of the first ever World Cup, which Uruguay hosted in 1930.
Letty played that match, which was held on July 20, 1930, at the age of 18 years and 25 days, and ended with the “Samba Dancers” winning 4-0.
German Youssoufa Moukoko
Returning again to the Qatar World Cup 2022, it witnessed the presence of a second player among the youngest in the history of the World Cup, as Moukoko participated in the German national team’s match against Japan in the first round of the group stage.
That match was held on November 23, 2022, on the grounds of the Khalifa World Cup Stadium, in which Moukoko participated in the last minute of stoppage time, by decision of coach Hansi Flick.
Mokoko was only 18 years and 3 days old at the time, and the match saw the Germans lose 1-2 to their Japanese counterparts.
Cameroonian Rigobert Song
He participated in the starting lineup of the “Untamed Lions” against Sweden in the match that took place in the group stage of the 1994 World Cup, by decision of coach Henri Michel.
Song was 17 years, 11 months and 9 days old at the time, and despite his young age, he played a great match and contributed to his country’s exit with one point after that confrontation ended in a positive draw with two goals in each net.
Nigerian Bartholomew Ogbeche
National coach Festus Onigbinde gave his compatriot Ogbeche the opportunity to make his World Cup debut in one of the intense matches of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Ogbeche participated against Argentina in the match that took place for the group stage on June 2, 2002, at the age of 17 years, 8 months and two days, and ended with the “Green Eagles” losing with great difficulty, with a score of 0-1.
Brazilian Pele
He is the most famous name on this list, as he presented his credentials as one of the football legends in history in his first World Cup match on June 15, 1958.
On that day, Pele was 17 years, 7 months and 23 days old, and he participated against the Soviet Union by decision of his compatriot Vicente Viola, coach of the “Seleção”, and that match ended with a Brazilian victory that settled at two goals without a response.
After that participation, Pele wrote an exceptional history in the World Cup, as he is the only one so far to win the World Cup 3 times as a player.
Cameroonian Salomon Olympian
On June 11, 1998, an Olympian’s feet touched the floor of the Municipal Stadium (currently Toulouse) to represent his country against Austria in the second group matches of the World Cup in France.
Olympic was 17 years, 6 months and 3 days old at the time, and that match ended in a positive draw with a goal in each net.
Nigerian Femi Obabunmi
Obabunmi participated in Nigeria’s match against England, which was held on June 12, 2002 at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan.
At the time, Obabunmi was 17 years, 3 months and 9 days old, and that match, which took place in the group stage, ended in a goalless draw.
Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o
He is the youngest Cameroonian and African player ever in the history of the World Cup, as he played his first match at the age of 17 years, 3 months and 7 days, that is, two days behind Nigerian Obabunmi.
Eto’o participated against Italy starting from the 66th minute of the match that took place on June 17, 1998, and ended with a wide victory for the European team, which settled at a hat-trick without a response.
Norman Whiteside from Northern Ireland
Whiteside maintains his place as the youngest player in the history of the World Cup in 44 years, after he participated with his country for the first time in the 1982 World Cup.
Whiteside played the Northern Ireland match against Austria in the group stage on June 17, 1982, when he was 17 years, one month and 10 days old, and it ended in a goalless draw.
