The Race for the FIFA Young Player Award at the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway in North America, and while veterans like Lionel Messi and others chase one last glory, the spotlight is also firmly on the next generation. The FIFA Young Player Award (formerly the Best Young Player) highlights the tournament's standout performer typically aged 21 or under. Pelé was 17 when he won it in 1958. Mbappé was 19. Enzo Fernández walked away with it in Qatar having barely been a household name outside Buenos Aires. By the time the trophy is handed over, the world already knows the name.
We're at the start of that same process now. The 2026 tournament has kicked off in North America — Mexico opened proceedings with a win — and the next global superstar is already somewhere on a pitch, building their case.
The question is: who is it?
The Clear Favorite: Lamine Yamal (Spain, 18)
Start here, because everyone else does.
Yamal is 18 years old and already one of the five best players at this tournament, regardless of age bracket. The Barcelona winger was the defining figure of Euro 2024 — explosive off the dribble, creative in tight spaces, capable of the unexpected at any moment. ESPN put him top of their U21 rankings before a ball was kicked in 2026 and called him the "outstanding player of his generation." Hard to argue.
His path to this award runs directly through Spain's tournament run. If La Roja go deep — and they're among the favourites to win the whole thing — Yamal will be central to everything. Goals, assists, decisive moments in knockout games. He came through injury concerns in the build-up and looks fit. The 2.75 odds reflect something close to consensus, and on this occasion the consensus might just be right.
Our tip: Back him. But hedge — because this tournament has a way of producing someone nobody saw coming.
The Contenders
Désiré Doué (France) — 3.50
The most dangerous threat to Yamal's coronation. PSG's 19-year-old forward had a breakout domestic season and slots into a France squad with the firepower to reach the final. Doué's value is his versatility — he can operate wide, through the middle, or in the pocket behind the striker. If France give him consistent minutes and he delivers in the knockout rounds, the narrative writes itself. Second favourite for good reason.
Warren Zaïre-Emery (France) — 8.00
Doué's PSG teammate and France's midfield engine. More functional than flashy, but consistently excellent — which at a World Cup can matter more than brilliance in flashes. The 8.00 feels slightly generous for a player who'll likely feature in every France game if they go the distance.
Arda Güler (Türkiye) — 13.00
The creative spark that Real Madrid's fans have been watching with excitement for two seasons. Güler plays like a player from a different era — technically gifted, unhurried, capable of producing moments that look like they belong in a highlight reel from the 1970s. Türkiye aren't expected to win the tournament, but Güler doesn't need the team to win it. He needs three or four magical moments and the right camera angle. At 13.00, he's the pick for anyone who loves a story.
Endrick (Brazil) — 13.00
The most intriguing name on this list. The Real Madrid striker has enormous expectations on his shoulders and a Brazil squad full of established stars competing for the same minutes. But Endrick has the kind of predatory instinct in the box that coaches don't manufacture — you either have it or you don't. If Brazil find a way to work him into the starting lineup and he delivers, 13.00 looks embarrassingly short in hindsight.
Nico Paz (Argentina) — 7.00
The Como midfielder had a sensational Serie A season and arrives at his first World Cup with genuine momentum. Argentina's squad is in transition, which could actually work in his favour — more responsibility, more minutes, more chances to shine. A quieter 7.00 that could move sharply if he impresses early.
Others Worth Watching
Player | Team | Position | Odds | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pau Cubarsí | Spain | Defender | 13.00 | Elite at the back, could be Spain's defensive cornerstone |
João Neves | Portugal | Midfielder | — | PSG's box-to-box engine, physically imposing |
Nico O'Reilly | England | Midfielder | 13.00 | Club form earns him consideration |
Kenan Yildiz | Türkiye | Attacker | 34.00 | Juventus talent, can score out of nothing |
Yan Diomande | Ivory Coast | Midfielder | 21.00 | Dark horse from outside the usual suspects |
Gilberto Mora | Mexico | Forward | 50.00 | Youngest player at the tournament — home crowd, nothing to lose |
Ibrahim Maza | Germany | Midfielder | 80.00 | Bundesliga's breakthrough talent. Massive longshot, enormous ceiling |
What Actually Decides This Award
Three things, in order of importance:
1. How far the team goes. Mbappé won it in 2018 because France reached the final. Fernández won it in 2022 because Argentina won the whole thing. The award almost never goes to a player from a team knocked out before the quarters. Spain and France are best placed.
2. Knockout-round performances. A hat-trick against Germany in the semis will always beat a hat-trick against a group-stage opponent. The award is decided in the final ten days of the tournament, not the first ten.
3. The breakout narrative. Sometimes a player nobody expected steps into the light — a teenager from a country that wasn't supposed to make it this far, turning in a performance that stops the world. That's what makes this award genuinely exciting, and why the longshots at 21.00 or 34.00 aren't completely crazy.
Our Verdict
Yamal at 2.75 is the rational pick, and rational picks win more often than not. Back him as your main stake. As of mid-June 2026, Lamine Yamal is the player to beat — his talent, experience at high levels, and Spain's pedigree make him the most likely winner.
But put something small on Güler at 13.00. Not because it's likely — it isn't. But because when Türkiye play and he gets the ball in space 25 yards from goal, something could happen. And if it happens enough times, the award conversation changes overnight. The beauty of the World Cup is unpredictability: a Doué masterclass, Güler magic, or an Endrick explosion could flip the script.
Keep an eye on the group stages for early standouts. The award will likely be decided in the latter stages, where pressure reveals the true stars. Who’s your pick? The tournament is young, and the next global icon could emerge any day.
