Who is the youngest player at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The latest edition of the FIFA World Cup, football’s most prestigious event, kicks off from June 12 in the US, Mexico and Canada.

The World Cup is known as a stage for promising young talents to make an impact, and the 2026 edition is likely to prove no different, with some exciting youngsters on the programme.

The youngest player to be named in a squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is 17-year-old Gilberto Mora of Mexico. Mora is an attacking midfielder who plays for Liga MX club Tijuana. He made his international debut in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2025, becoming the youngest player to do so.

READ ALSO: Oldest players at 2026 FIFA World Cup: Craig Gordon tops the list, Cristiano Ronaldo second

Mora is still so young that he was not yet born when teammate Guillermo Ochoa (who is going to his sixth World Cup) went to his first World Cup.

Mora is joined in the top five by Czech midfielder Hugo Sochurek (18 years and four days at kick-off), German creator Lennart Karl (18 years and 109 days), Senegalese forward Ibrahim Mbaye (18 years and 138 days) and Egyptian number 9 Hamza Abdelkarim (18 years and 161 days).

Norman Whiteside, who was 17 years and 41 days when he represented Northern Ireland at the 1982 World Cup, still holds the record for the youngest ever player at the World Cup.

Published on June 3, 2026