Who’s the youngest player at the 2026 World Cup?

Mexico feature an exciting storyline at the 2026 World Cup with the inclusion of Gilberto Mora, who enters the tournament as the youngest player across all 48 teams. As El Tri prepare to face South Africa on June 11 in another historic inaugural match, the teenage prodigy will be just 17 years and 240 days old.

While Mora is the youngest in this edition, he does not hold the all-time tournament record. That milestone still belongs to Northern Ireland’s Norman Whiteside, who was just 17 years and 41 days old when he faced Yugoslavia at the 1982 World Cup.

For Mexican fans, the future looks incredibly bright with Mora in the squad. The midfielder has been a standout performer for Xolos de Tijuana since bursting onto the scene in 2024 at just 15 years old, when he provided an assist in a 3-1 victory over Santos Laguna.

Gilberto Mora, the only under-18 player in the 2026 World Cup

Despite facing recent fitness concerns, the midfielder recovered quickly to cement his place in the final squad. His presence is entirely unique in this tournament, as he stands as the only player under the age of 18 selected for the 2026 World Cup. Czechia, who share a group with Mexico, boast the next youngest player in Hugo Sochurek at 18 years and four days old.

The rest of the tournament’s youngest talents include Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye and Egypt’s Hamza Abdelkarim, followed closely by Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Other notable prodigies making the top fifteen include Uzbekistan’s Behruzjon Karimov, Ecuador’s Kendry Paez, and Croatia’s Luka Vuskovic.

See also

Why Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez isn’t playing for Mexico at the 2026 World Cup

Here are the top 15 youngest players at the 2026 World Cup:

1. Gilberto Mora – Mexico (17 years, 240 days)
2. Hugo Sochurek – Czechia (18 years, 4 days)
3. Ibrahim Mbaye – Senegal (18 years, 138 days)
4. Hamza Abdelkarim – Egypt (18 years, 161 days)
5. Bara Sapoko Ndiaye – Senegal (18 years, 162 days)
6. Mladen Jurkas – Bosnia and Herzegovina (18 years, 247 days)
7. Ayyoub Bouaddi – Morocco (18 years, 252 days)
8. Kerim Alajbegovic – Bosnia and Herzegovina (18 years, 263 days)
9. Rayan Elloumi – Tunisia (18 years, 267 days)
10. Lucas Herrington – Australia (18 years, 279 days)
11. Behruzjon Karimov – Uzbekistan (18 years, 308 days)
12. Lamine Yamal – Spain (18 years, 333 days)
13. Kendry Paez – Ecuador (19 years, 38 days)
14. Tyler Fletcher – Scotland (19 years, 84 days)
15. Luka Vuskovic – Croatia (19 years, 107 days)

Pele’s historic scoring record still safe

Even if Mora manages to find the net against South Africa on June 11, he will narrowly miss out on becoming the youngest goalscorer in World Cup history. That legendary record remains safely in the hands of Pele, who captivated the world nearly seven decades ago.

The Brazilian icon scored against Wales in the 1958 quarterfinals at 17 years and 239 days old. Remarkably, that makes Pele exactly one day younger than Mora will be on opening day, ensuring the King’s historic milestone stays intact for at least another tournament cycle.