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5 Up-And-Coming Teenagers Who Could Emerge at the World Cup

Brazil's forward Endrick attends a training session at the Granja Comary training center in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 29, 2026, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. (AFP)
Brazil's forward Endrick attends a training session at the Granja Comary training center in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 29, 2026, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. (AFP)
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5 Up-And-Coming Teenagers Who Could Emerge at the World Cup

Brazil's forward Endrick attends a training session at the Granja Comary training center in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 29, 2026, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. (AFP)
Brazil's forward Endrick attends a training session at the Granja Comary training center in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 29, 2026, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. (AFP)

Some famous teenagers have had their breakthrough moment at the World Cup, including Pelé, who became one of football's all-time greats.

Pelé was 17 when he helped lead Brazil to the World Cup title in 1958. Kylian Mbappé was 19 when he cemented his superstar credentials by leading France to the World Cup title in 2018. Two decades earlier, England's Michael Owen had a coming-of-age moment as an 18-year-old at the 1998 World Cup in France.

The 2026 tournament will feature 22 teenagers, according to the official rosters of the 48 teams published by FIFA.

A few of them have already established themselves with top European clubs, including 18-year-old Lamine Yamal and 19-year-old Pau Cubarsí, the Spaniards who have been thriving with Barcelona for some time. Germany's 18-year-old Lennart Karl just had his breakthrough season with Bayern Munich.

Other already established players are older than 19 but are set to make their first World Cup appearances, including 20-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery and 21-year-old Désiré Doué, the France internationals who have been regulars with two-time defending Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain.

Other 21-year-olds who have been around for some time but will possibly debut at the tournament include England's Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City and Türkiye's Arda Güler of Real Madrid. Nico Paz, another 21-year-old, made Argentina’s World Cup squad after thriving with Como in the Italian league, helping the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time.

Here’s a look at five up-and-coming teenagers who could have breakthrough performances during soccer’s showcase event:

Gilberto Mora

One of Mexico’s most promising prospects in years, Mora could become the youngest Mexican player to appear in a World Cup at age 17. He is the youngest player among the rosters of the 48 teams playing at the tournament this year.

The midfielder has been making waves in Liga MX with Tijuana. He started for the Mexico team that won the Gold Cup in 2025.

In August 2024, he was the youngest to start and score in the Mexican first division at age 15. In January 2025, he was the youngest to debut for Mexico at 16.

Some of the top clubs reportedly scouting the teenager include Real Madrid, Barcelona and some Premier League teams.

Yan Diomande

The 19-year-old winger will star for Ivory Coast at the World Cup after impressing with Leipzig in the German league.

He moved to the United States at a young age and excelled while playing high school soccer in Florida. Diomande had trials with Major League Soccer teams Colorado and Charlotte but ended up moving to Spanish club Leganes in 2024.

It wasn’t long before Leipzig signed the promising star last year. He also debuted for the national team last year, featuring in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Endrick

The 19-year-old striker will have a chance to shine with Brazil after finishing the season well with Lyon in the French league.

Endrick thrived with Brazilian club Palmeiras before moving to Real Madrid as the next top prospect from Brazil. He had a rough start with the Spanish powerhouse and was sent on loan to Lyon, where he thrived this last season.

It was enough for new Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti to include him on the World Cup squad, where he will compete with the likes of Neymar, Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha and another up-and-coming teenager in 19-year-old Rayan, who impressed with Bournemouth in his first Premier League season.

Ibrahim Mbaye

The 18-year-old Mbaye became the youngest Senegalese goal scorer in the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, helping Senegal reach the final. He was 17 at the time.

The forward was a member of PSG’s academy and made his French league debut as a 16-year-old in 2024.

He made his Champions League debut last year and progressively got more playing time with PSG this season, including in the top European club competition won by the French club.

Kendry Páez

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has been a regular with Ecuador.

Chelsea struck a deal in 2023 to sign Páez from Ecuadorean club Independiente del Valle when he turned 18 in 2025. Chelsea loaned him to French club Strasbourg last year, and he is currently playing on loan with Argentine powerhouse River Plate.

A strong World Cup is likely to bring Paéz, who is known for his nifty dribbling and explosive changes of pace, back to Europe.

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Sports

Josh Kerr Breaks Long-standing World Mile Record

London, Britain - July 18, 2026 Britain's Josh Kerr celebrates after winning the men's 1 mile final and setting a new Meet Record, World Record, and Diamond League Record REUTERS/Matthew Childs
London, Britain - July 18, 2026 Britain's Josh Kerr celebrates after winning the men's 1 mile final and setting a new Meet Record, World Record, and Diamond League Record REUTERS/Matthew Childs
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Josh Kerr Breaks Long-standing World Mile Record

London, Britain - July 18, 2026 Britain's Josh Kerr celebrates after winning the men's 1 mile final and setting a new Meet Record, World Record, and Diamond League Record REUTERS/Matthew Childs
London, Britain - July 18, 2026 Britain's Josh Kerr celebrates after winning the men's 1 mile final and setting a new Meet Record, World Record, and Diamond League Record REUTERS/Matthew Childs

Josh Kerr shattered the 27-year-old world mile record at London Stadium on Saturday as he made Project 222 a reality.

The 28-year-old Briton, roared on by a capacity 60,000 crowd at the London Diamond League meeting, ran a time of three minutes 42.68 seconds to break Hicham El Guerrouj's long-standing mark by 0.45 seconds, Reuters reported.

He had targeted a 222-second race, and he pulled it off to become the sixth British athlete in history to hold the record for the distance.

El Guerrouj set his world record in 1999 when British record holder Kerr was only 1 year old.

The 2023 world 1,500m champion announced in March that his intention was to break the Moroccan’s record and he framed a training regime which included 222-second-long recovery ice baths to help make it a reality.

Kerr, who was presented with a cheque for $50,000 for breaking the record, shaved almost three seconds off his own personal best.

Sports

Lionel Messi Speaks in Advance of World Cup Final, Says Argentina 'Will Give it Our All'

Lionel Messi celebrating qualifying for the World Cup final (DPA)
Lionel Messi celebrating qualifying for the World Cup final (DPA)
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Lionel Messi Speaks in Advance of World Cup Final, Says Argentina 'Will Give it Our All'

Lionel Messi celebrating qualifying for the World Cup final (DPA)
Lionel Messi celebrating qualifying for the World Cup final (DPA)

The lineup of sports legends simultaneously on the stage at Fanatics Fest on Friday night was almost absurd. There was Tom Brady, the greatest Super Bowl champion of all time. There was Novak Djokovic, the winner of more men's Grand Slam tennis tournaments than anyone else. There was Kevin Durant, the only four-time Olympic gold medalist in men's basketball history.

And before they left, they all got a selfie with Lionel Messi, The AP news reported.

Let that be the latest proof of Messi's power: Even the biggest stars in the sports universe clearly enjoy a chance to be around the best soccer player of all-time. They'll all be watching Sunday — along with probably 1.5 billion other people worldwide — when Messi and Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final.

“We will give it our all,” Messi said.

The star-studded news conference was expected to be Messi's last public appearance before Sunday's final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. FIFA decided to use Fanatics Fest — a four-day celebration of sports in New York, replete with autograph signings and celebrity appearances — as the backdrop for its preview news conferences, meaning hundreds of people got the chance to get a glimpse of Messi in the sort of setting not usually open to the public.

“It goes beyond words what Messi means as a player and what he means for Argentina,” Spain captain Rodri said. “Obviously, for me, he’s the greatest of all times.”

The idea for the appearance by Messi and the other players and coaches from Argentina and Spain was simple: Instead of having traditional media asking questions, the stars got to do the asking.

Brady probed Messi about a remarkable photo that has gone viral this week of him bathing a cute baby boy who grew up to be Spain star Lamine Yamal — “What a crazy picture,” Messi said. Djokovic asked Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni about dealing with pressure, then posed a version of that same question to Messi.

And when Messi finished, Djokovic simply said, “Gracias, Leo.” Djokovic then asked Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and captain Rodri about staying calm in big moments, before Brady asked Messi about the infamous photo with Yamal, and Rodri about what he'll say to teammates before Sunday's final. Durant then came out, asking Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez about what it would mean to win back-to-back World Cups.

The Argentina and Spain sides, to their credit, seemed to enjoy the show. The World Cup final is a spectacle, and so was the preview event.

“It's one more game,” Scaloni said. “We cannot really think about the fact that it's a World Cup final.”

It was not the easiest of roads for Argentina to get back to the final, even though the defending champions (7-0-0) are the only unbeaten and untied team left in the tournament; Spain (6-0-1) drew its opening match against Cape Verde.

Argentina had to rally from a 1-0 second-half deficit to beat England in the semifinals, had to rally from a 2-0 second-half deficit to beat Egypt in the Round of 16, and got taken to extra time by both Cape Verde (in the round of 32) and Switzerland (in the quarterfinals).

“I've said many times: We never stop fighting,” Messi said.

With that, the defending champions got their ticket to New York. And when Messi walked onto that stage Friday, not many of those who were jammed inside the theater applauded — since they were holding their phones instead, hoping to capture images of the moment.

Messi knew what they wanted. He smiled and waved. They roared.

When the event wrapped up, everyone — the players, the coaches, actor and comedian Kevin Hart, rapper and producer Travis Scott, England great Rio Ferdinand, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and more — gathered for that selfie with the fans in the background.

“Sunday is going to be a great show,” Scaloni said.

It seemed like Messi may have taken a quick look at the case holding the trophy before he departed. Either way, it's not like he needs a reminder of what's at stake. No team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and Messi now has a chance to add one more accomplishment to his already overstuffed resume.

"We've got a group of players and a group of coaches that are working incredibly hard every single day to try to bring happiness to my country," Martinez said. “We're going to give absolutely our best, with Leo, with the team that we have, to bring the World Cup back to my country and celebrate with our people.”

Sports

Ryan Fox Matches Major Championship Record with a 62 in the British Open

Ryan Fox of New Zealand acknowledges the crowd on the 188th green after completing his third round during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Ryan Fox of New Zealand acknowledges the crowd on the 188th green after completing his third round during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
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Ryan Fox Matches Major Championship Record with a 62 in the British Open

Ryan Fox of New Zealand acknowledges the crowd on the 188th green after completing his third round during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Ryan Fox of New Zealand acknowledges the crowd on the 188th green after completing his third round during the third day of the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Ryan Fox added his name Saturday to the growing list of players who share the major championship scoring record when he became the third player this week with a record-tying 62 in the British Open at Royal Birkdale.

Fox started early with barely a trace of wind, and he took advantage. He made five birdies on the front nine, and birdied two of his last three holes for 62 on the par-70 Birkdale links. Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns each had 62 some 20 minutes apart on Friday.

There now have been eight rounds of 62 in major championship history, half of them at Royal Birkdale. Branden Grace was the first to set the record with a 62 at Royal Birkdale in 2017, The AP news reported.

Fox was in a pot bunker off the fairway on the 18th and still managed to find the green, leaving a birdie putt of nearly 50 feet for a 61. He left it short by about 5 feet and holed the par putt.

“When I got to 6 under through 14 I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve got a chance.' I would have liked to give myself a birdie chance at the last, but happy to make par,” Fox said.

He played alongside Xander Schauffele, the only player with 62 twice in a major. Schauffele and Rickie Fowler each shot 62 in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club — like Herbert and Burns, they were playing two groups apart — and Schauffele and Shane Lowry each shot 62 in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Haeran Ryu set the record in women's majors last week with a 60 in the final round of the Evian Championship, which has yielded all the top scores in LPGA majors since it was designated one 13 years ago.

Schauffele is the only player with 62 in a major to win. Fox, who made the cut with one shot to spared, finished atop the leaderboard with Herbert, who was still more than an hour away from teeing off in the third round.

The links have rarely been this brown and fast, but it's the wind — or lack of it — that has allowed for such low scoring this week.

Fox, one of the strongest players in golf with his rugby heritage, leaned on his driver for much of the round and set up good scoring chances.

“The game plan was to be aggressive,” Fox said. “I was aggressive on a lot of good wedge shots. Pretty happy with 62 at the end.”

All but one of his nine birdies — Fox made his lone bogey on the 13th with a drive into a pot bunker — came from about 10 feet or closer. His drive on the 321-yard fifth hole was about 30 feet from the hole, and his most important shot was a wedge from the rough on the par-5 17th that rolled out to about 4 feet.

Herbert also had a bogey on his card during his 62 on Friday.

There have been weeks of soft conditions or little wind — two elements that lead to low scores — at previous majors. Seven major courses — three of them links courses — have yielded two rounds of 63 or lower in the same championship.

Royal Birkdale is the first to give up three of them — with half of the field Saturday and the final round still to come.