Youngest Players at FIFA World Cup 2026

Youngest Players at FIFA World Cup 2026

Mexico's Gilberto Mora is the youngest player at the FIFA World Cup 2026. He was 17 years and 240 days old when the tournament started on June 11, 2026. Mora plays as a midfielder for Liga MX club Tijuana and is already one of Mexico's brightest young talents.

Key Takeaways

• Gilberto Mora (Mexico) is the youngest player at the FIFA World Cup 2026, aged 17 years and 240 days.

• The 2026 World Cup has 22 teenagers among its record 1,248 players, based on official squads released by FIFA.

• Norman Whiteside of Northern Ireland is still the youngest player in World Cup history overall, at 17 years and 41 days in 1982.

• Mora is now the sixth youngest player ever to feature in a World Cup, just behind Pelé.

• Scotland's Craig Gordon is the oldest player at this World Cup, at 43 years and 162 days, making him 26 years older than Mora.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is the first edition with 48 teams, and that means more squads, more players, and more young footballers getting a shot on the world's biggest stage. 

With 1,248 players named across all 48 rosters, this is the largest player pool in World Cup history. Out of that huge number, 22 are still teenagers.

Every World Cup throws up a fresh batch of young stars. Some of them go on to become legends. Pelé was only 17 when he helped Brazil win the title in 1958. Kylian Mbappé was just 19 when he lifted the trophy with France in 2018. So when people talk about the youngest players at a World Cup, they are not just talking about age. They are often talking about future superstars.

Top Youngest Players at FIFA World Cup 2026

Here is a look at the youngest footballers taking part in the 2026 tournament, based on official squad lists from FIFA.

Here is the data formatted into a clean, scannable table for you:

Note: Ages are based on each player's date of birth as listed on official FIFA tournament squads, with figures correct as of the start of the tournament on June 11, 2026.

Who Is Gilberto Mora?

Source: instagram/oneumbrellasportsandent

Gilberto Mora was born on October 14, 2008, in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, a city in southern Mexico's Chiapas state. Football runs in his family. His father, Gilberto Mora Olayo, used to play in Liga MX for clubs like Toluca and Puebla, and now coaches young players in the Tijuana academy, the same academy that raised his son.

Mora's rise has been fast. In August 2024, at just 15 years old, he became the youngest player to start a match and score a goal in Mexican top flight history. By January 2025, at 16, he had already made his debut for the senior Mexico national team, again as the youngest player to do so. A few months later, he started for Mexico in their Gold Cup semifinal win and helped the team lift the trophy, becoming the youngest player ever to win a FIFA recognised men's tournament.

At the 2026 World Cup, Mora became the youngest player ever to represent Mexico at the tournament when he came on as a substitute in the opening match against South Africa. Big European clubs are already paying attention. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and a few Premier League sides have reportedly been scouting him.

Who are the Other Younger Players to Watch out For in the FIFA World Cup 2026?

In the FIFA World Cup 2026, Mora is not the only younger player who is playing in this year's FIFA World Cup. Apart from him, many other players are also playing

Lennart Karl of Germany had a breakout season with Bayern Munich before the tournament and will be only 18 years and 109 days old at kickoff. Spain's Lamine Yamal, already a Champions League regular with Barcelona, is one of the most recognised teenage footballers in the world, alongside his 19 year old club teammate Pau Cubarsí.

Ibrahim Mbaye of Senegal became his country's youngest ever goal scorer at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, when he was still 17. Brazil's Endrick, who plays his club football with Lyon, gets a chance to shine on the World Cup stage at 19. Ivory Coast's Yan Diomande impressed in the German Bundesliga with Leipzig, while Ecuador's Kendry Páez, who is contracted to Chelsea and currently on loan with River Plate, rounds out the list of standout young players.

List of the Youngest Players in FIFA World Cup History

To understand how special Mora's achievement is, it helps to look at the full history of the tournament. The record for the youngest player ever to appear in a men's World Cup match has stood since 1982 and still belongs to Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside, according to Guinness World Records.

Norman Whiteside set his record playing for Northern Ireland against Yugoslavia on June 17, 1982, in Zaragoza, Spain. He was 17 years and 41 days old that day, and he took the record straight from Pele. 

The match ended in a goalless draw, but Whiteside still found a way to make history. He also became the youngest player ever to receive a yellow card at a World Cup in this match.

Pele still holds a record that nobody has matched. He remains the youngest player to ever score in a World Cup, the youngest to score a hat trick, and the youngest to play in and score in a World Cup final. Age records can be broken, but some of Pelé's achievements have lasted for more than 65 years.

While Gilberto Mora is the youngest player at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is the oldest player at the 2026 World Cup, at 43 years and 162 days old. 

That makes him 26 years older than Mora. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, at 41, is one of seven players at this World Cup aged 40 or above.

This wide gap shows what makes the World Cup special. Teenagers playing their first big tournament share the same pitch as veterans who have been at the top of the game for two decades.