Do not fret - we at Flashscore have gone through all 48 squads and selected eight of our favourite talents, who look sure to be the next generation's superstars. So sit back, relax, and read all about these eight future superstars.
*All data from Opta
Ayyoub Bouaddi
Age: 18 - Midfielder - Morocco (3 caps) - Lille (Ligue 1)
An 18-year-old making headlines by switching international eligibility - a testament to the sheer talent Ayoub Bouaddi possesses. The French-Moroccan midfielder chose to represent the Atlas Lions in May 2026, two and a half years after becoming the youngest player to play in Ligue 1 since 1981 (16 years, 3 days).
Bouaddi had an excellent campaign for Lille, where he's already a mainstay in the Dogues' midfield. Among midfielders aged 21 or younger in the top 5 leagues, Bouaddi ranked 13th in chances created from open play (21), eighth in duels won (142), seventh in 50/50 duels won (313), sixth in dribbles completed (34), fifth in tackles won (37), and third in possessions won (151) in 30 games (2,239 minutes).
Since his switch to Morocco, Bouaddi featured in every game, totalling 180 minutes over three pre-tournament friendlies, mostly as the team's holding midfielder. Expect Bouaddi to take up an important role in midfield behind Brahim Diaz, Ismael Saibari, and Azzedine Ounahi.
Johan Manzambi
Age: 20 - Midfielder - Switzerland (12 caps) - Freiburg (Bundesliga)
Young star Johan Manzambi was one of the driving factors behind Freiburg reaching their first-ever European final. Aston Villa got the better of the South Germans in the UEFA Europa League final, but that wasn't down to Manzambi, who was a constant threat in Istanbul by drawing 4 fouls, delivering 10 passes into the final third, and winning possession 3 times.
In 27 Bundesliga games (2,093 minutes), the gifted Swiss midfielder won 179 duels (3rd among U21 midfielders in Europe's top 5 leagues), including 33 aerial duels (4th), completed 33 dribbles (7th), and recorded 9 goal contributions (6th).
Manzambi has been playing more as a forward for Switzerland recently, even featuring as a striker in the final pre-tournament friendly against Australia.
Gilberto Mora
Age: 17 - Midfielder/forward - Mexico (8 caps) - Club Tijuana (Liga MX)
The 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, born 14-10-2008, is the youngest player to feature at the tournament and will likely become only the eighth 17-year-old to feature at a World Cup, which will be the next chapter in an already unbelievable journey for the kid they call the "Mexican Pedri".
Mora crossed the country from Tuxtla Gutierrez, close to the Guatemalan border, to Tijuana, on the border with the American city of San Diego, to pursue his footballing dream and wasted no time in making it come true. Gilberto Mora debuted for Club Tijuana at the age of 15 years, 10 months, and 5 days, scored his first senior goal 12 days later, and debuted for the national team at 16 years, 8 months, and 15 days of age.
Mora, who'll be the sixth-youngest World Cup player ever and just 5 days older than Pelé at the time of his World Cup debut, played 20 league games for Club Tijuana across the Mexican Apertura and Clausura, scored 6 goals (more than any other U21 player in the Liga MX), created 16 chances (8th), won 59 duels (9th), and won possession 72 times (6th). The versatile star has the world at his feet.
Joel Ordóñez
Age: 22 - Centre-back - Ecuador (17 caps) - Club Brugge (Pro League)
A stalwart at the club level and for his national team, the 22-year-old Joel Ordóñez was pivotal in Ecuador's stellar qualifying campaign. In the ever-difficult South American cycle, Ecuador conceded just 5 goals in 18 games, a joint-best record since the introduction of the current qualifying system.
The importance of Ordóñez is evident in the statistics, both with and without him on the pitch: Ecuador conceded 4 goals in the 10 games without him, but only 1 in the 8 games with him. The opponents' shot conversion rate dipped, too, with Ecuador's South American foes aiming 31.7% of their total shots on target with Ordóñez playing and 35.6% without. Additionally, only PSG's Willian Pacho (60) had more defensive contributions than Ordóñez (54) in the eight qualifying games with the Club Brugge standout.
Ordóñez, who won the league with Club Brugge, committed just one error that led to a shot in all 33 of his games and was accurate with 95% of his 1,251 passes in his own half, making him a formidable part of a likewise Ecuadorian defence.
Bazoumana Touré
Age: 20 - Winger - Ivory Coast (6 caps) - Hoffenheim (Bundesliga)
Hoffenheim winger Bazoumana Touré reportedly has the entire top half of the Premier League after him, and though he's new to the national team, it's fairly easy to see why.
The Ivorian wunderkind was involved in 14 goals in 30 Bundesliga games, which included 9 assists from 45 created chances - a number that ranked him 4th among forwards aged 21 and under in Europe's top 5 leagues. Touré is eager, but raw, which shows in his dribbling statistics: his 127 attempted (5th) and 48 completed dribbles (6th) rank him in the upper echelons of qualified wingers with at least 50 attempted dribbles, while his success rate (37.8%) ranks him only 17th.
The 20-year-old made his senior debut for the Elephants shortly before the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations, where he was an excellent impact sub with 2 goals in just 38 minutes of playing time. He might not start every game at the World Cup, but when he plays, expect him to make his mark.
Can Uzun
Age: 20 - Midfielder/forward - Turkey (6 caps) - Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga)
The story of Can Uzun in the Turkish national team is one of patience. The Eintracht Frankfurt star debuted in March 2024 in a friendly, but played just 32 minutes between then and Turkey's pre-World Cup friendlies against North Macedonia and Venezuela. Manager Vincenzo Montella yo-yo'd around with the youngster, who might've made a strong case for himself to be the proud nation's top striker.
Uzun scored a goal and assisted another against North Macedonia - a strong performance that followed a likewise campaign, in which he was involved in 16 goals in 28 games with Eintracht Frankfurt. The 20-year-old was lethal, finishing 4 of his 5 big chances and scoring with 19.5% of his shots, which ranks him 5th among U21 players in the top 5 European leagues with at least 20 shots.
It's telling that Uzun is in the mix to be Turkey's main striker at the tournament, alongside Porto's Deniz Gül and Fenerbahçe's Kerem Akturkoglu. It might be the time for the smart youngster, so look out for him.
Luka Vuskovic
Age: 19 - Centre-back - Croatia (5 caps) - Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
Tottenham Hotspur's own Luka Vuskovic established himself as one of Europe's top young defenders while on loan at Hamburger SV last season. The Croatian was a big presence at the back for HSV and recorded the most clearances (251), headed clearances (153), and the highest duel success rate (67.6%, U21 players with at least 100 duels) among qualified players.
Oh, and he also scored 6 goals, making him the joint-second leading goalscorer among all centre-backs in Europe (penalties excluded).
The highest-rated U23 defender in the top 5 leagues according to Flashscore's in-house player ratings system (7.3), Vuskovic has all the European top teams after him after claiming a starting spot in the Croatian national team alongside Josko Gvardiol and Josip Sutalo.
Read everything about Flashscore's new Player Ratings in our article HERE
Vuskovic is incredibly mature for his young age and might make a big-money move this summer. But first, it's his time to shine at the World Cup.
Paul Wanner
Age: 20 - Midfielder - Austria (3 caps) - PSV (Eredivisie)
Paul Wanner shocked Europe twice in the last 12 months. The promising youngster surprisingly left Bayern Munich for Dutch giants PSV in the summer of 2025 and made another shock switch in March 2026, when the Austrian FA announced that the midfielder had changed eligibility to Germany's southern neighbours.
The addition of Wanner is a welcome addition to Ralf Rangnick's midfield. The 20-year-old made big strides in his first year with PSV, with whom Wanner won the Dutch Eredivisie with a record 19-point margin. After adjusting to his new club in 2025, Wanner became a main fixture in the starting XI as one of the most reliable options in the champions' squad.
From January 1st onwards, Wanner completed 88.4% of his 424 passes in the opposition's half, which ranks him among some of Europe's elite young talents like Warren Zaïre-Emery and Kobbie Mainoo. His 22 created chances (10th) and 596 completed passes (15th) rank high among midfielders aged 21 and younger in Europe's top 10 leagues, especially when you realise he was never the focal point of PSV's midfield.
Paul Winters is Flashscore's Netherlands country manager, having previously worked for Flashscore's Netherlands desk. Paul is an expert on the Eredivisie and also specialises in the NFL, as well as a plethora of other sports. Residing in 'sunny' Katwijk, you can follow all of the news from the Netherlands here.
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