The FIFA World Cup 2026 will once again bring global icons like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo into the spotlight. Both legends are set to feature in their sixth World Cup, adding another chapter to their remarkable international careers.

However, every World Cup also introduces a new generation of stars to the global audience. From highly-rated teenagers to emerging talents already making waves in Europe’s top leagues, several young players could use the tournament as their breakout moment.

Here are 10 youngsters who could light up the FIFA World Cup 2026 – 

Kenan Yildiz (Türkiye)

After missing the World Cup for 24 years, Kenan Yildiz will carry enormous expectations for Türkiye.

The versatile attacker has already established himself at Juventus, winning domestic silverware and earning recognition as one of the brightest young players in Europe. Capable of operating as a winger or attacking midfielder, Yildiz is expected to be a key creative force for his country.

Nico Paz (Argentina)

Often viewed as a potential successor to Messi in Argentina’s midfield, Nico Paz arrives at the World Cup after an outstanding campaign in Italy.

The attacking midfielder impressed with goals and assists for Como, showcasing his ability to dictate play, create chances and influence matches from multiple positions in attack.

Rayan (Brazil)

Brazil’s latest wonderkid, Rayan, has enjoyed a rapid rise over the past two seasons.

The winger earned a senior national-team call-up under Carlo Ancelotti and has already shown his potential on the international stage. After helping Vasco da Gama domestically, he adapted quickly to life in the Premier League and heads into the World Cup with growing confidence.

Gilberto Mora (Mexico)

At just 18 years old, Gilberto Mora has already become one of Mexico’s most exciting prospects.

The attacking midfielder made history as one of the youngest goalscorers in Liga MX and quickly progressed through the national-team ranks. Calm under pressure and technically gifted, Mora could become one of the breakout stars of the tournament on home soil.

Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast)

Few young players have generated as much excitement in Europe as Yan Diomande.

Nico O’Reilly (England)

A product of the Manchester City academy, Nico O’Reilly has developed into a versatile option capable of playing in midfield or defence.

His ability to contribute goals, assists and tactical flexibility makes him an intriguing option for England as they chase World Cup glory.

Lennart Karl (Germany)

Germany’s next midfield sensation could be Lennart Karl.

The Bayern Munich youngster has impressed with his creativity, dribbling and attacking instincts. Despite his age, Karl has already shown he can perform at the highest level and could become an important player for Germany’s future.

Luka Vuskovic (Croatia)

Standing at 1.93 metres, Luka Vuskovic combines physical dominance with impressive technical ability.

The Croatian centre-back emerged as one of the Bundesliga’s standout young defenders and is already attracting attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. His aerial presence could make him a key figure for Croatia.

Keisuke Goto (Japan)

Japan’s World Cup squad is packed with talent, but Keisuke Goto could provide a surprise spark.

The towering striker has impressed in Belgium with his finishing ability and creative contributions. Despite limited international experience, Goto offers Japan a different attacking dimension.

Ali Jasim (Iraq)

Iraq’s return to the World Cup after four decades will be powered by a new generation led by Ali Jasim.

Comfortable on either wing or through the middle, the 22-year-old has already gained experience across multiple countries and competitions. His versatility and flair could make him one of the tournament’s most exciting under-the-radar talents.

A New Generation Ready for the Spotlight

While Messi and Ronaldo prepare for what could be their final World Cup appearances, players like Yildiz, Paz, Mora, Diomande and Rayan represent football’s next generation.

The FIFA World Cup has always been a stage where future superstars are born. In 2026, these 10 young talents will be hoping to announce themselves to the worl

Heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, the New York Knicks are decided underdogs to win it all. FanDuel has them at +160, against -190 for the Spurs. That seems too lopsided for a series that feels pretty evenly matched on a lot of fronts, but the Knicks are no strangers to long odds. 

New York opened the season with better odds, but by the time the playoffs started, they were down to +2200 to win the title. No NBA champion over the last 40 years (as far as we can trace) has entered the postseason with longer odds, meaning the Knicks are four wins away from becoming the biggest underdog in history to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. 

Hell, they weren’t even favored to win the Eastern Conference. 

Draymond Green’s name is being invoked because of his recent profane podcast rant about how Jalen Brunson hasn’t proven himself as a 1A championship player and, by extension, how the Knicks haven’t proven anything special by winning an Eastern Conference that is widely regarded as weak in comparison to the West. 

“You’re supposed to get out of the East,” Green laughed. “It’s the f–king East. Of course you’re supposed to get out of the East.”

So again, it bears repeating that the Knicks were not “supposed to” win the East. The Celtics were favored. After Jayson Tatum came back, almost everyone, myself included, thought they were the cream of the conference after finishing as the No. 2 seed without their best player for most of the season. After that, the Cavaliers were next in line. New York swept them. 

New York has, in fact, obliterated its postseason competition in historic fashion. Their +271 point differential, which comes out to an average margin of victory of 19.7 points per game, is the largest point differential entering the NBA Finals in history. They have swept their last two opponents and won 11 straight playoff games. The last time they lost was Game 3 against the Hawks. 

You won’t get any argument from me that the East is the weaker conference. Of course it is. Has been for a long time. I’m a proponent of getting rid of conferences entirely and going to a straight 1-16 seeding format for the playoffs to end the annual inequity.

That said, we’re talking about the depth of the two conferences. No 3-seed in the East is having to play a team as good as the Timberwolves in the first round as the Nuggets did. The Knicks were the East’s 3-seed. They got the Hawks. A fine team, but a far cry from a back-to-back conference finalist.

The East is an easier path. No chance LeBron James makes it to eight straight Finals in the West. That doesn’t mean his teams weren’t championship-level rosters. Of course they were. Those Cavs teams that went to four straight against the Warriors were incredible. Only a team as stacked as the Warriors could’ve kept that team from winning multiple rings. Obviously the Heat were a title team. Twice. 

The point is, there is always one or two teams in the East that can challenge the best in the West toe to toe. The Pacers took OKC to seven last year and looked like they were the favorite to win Game 7 until Tyrese Haliburton ruptured his Achilles. The Celtics won it the year before that. The Bucks two years before that. The Raptors two years before that. 

The advantage comes in being that one title-caliber team that gets to enter the championship series having endured less wear and tear, which is certainly true for the Knicks entering this one. The Spurs just had to go through a seven-game war with OKC. By the time Game 1 tips, the Knicks will have had eight days of rest between their conference finals clincher vs. Cleveland and the start of the Finals. 

To me, this should make the series price closer to a coin toss, but it’s not because the casual fans are treating this Wemby takeover as if it’s already written in ink and because the East is talked about as such a lesser test. Again, it is lesser than the West. As a whole. Don’t let that fool you into thinking the Knicks can’t win this thing. 

They absolutely can. Think about it: The Spurs win by forcing you into a bunch of jump shots; the Knicks are shooting a postseason best 40% from 3 and have marksmen everywhere. The Spurs are deep. So is New York. The Spurs have a ton of big, physical, two-way wings. So do the Knicks, who traded for OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to basically model their roster after the title-winning Celtics. 

Shall we go on? Wembanyama blows up offenses by serving as a roaming paint protector, but the Knicks have arguably the best big-man shooter in history in Karl-Anthony Towns to pull him out. On the other side, they have, literally, the best Wembanyama defender in the league in Anunoby. 

We all get that it’s tough to win a title with a small point guard as your best player, particularly one who isn’t a good defender. Excluding Stephen Curry, who is the exception of all exceptions, you have to go back to 1990 when Isiah Thomas led the Pistons to a championship to find an example of a small point guard being the 1A alpha on a title team. 

Becky Hammon has publicly doubted the Knicks’ chances of winning it all for this reason, and Draymond backs her. They’re not alone. History is on their side. But Brunson has been beating the odds his entire basketball life, and at this point, if you don’t believe in his ability to do it again, and by extension the Knicks’ ability to buck the +2200 odds they started the postseason with and win the whole damn thing, you haven’t been paying attention. 

Manchester United have agreed a deal with Atalanta to sign Ederson, but Michael Carrick’s side have also been linked with many other midfielders in recent weeks

Manchester United are reportedly no longer actively pursuing a move for Hayden Hackney this summer. There is a growing expectation that Hackney is expected to leave Middlesbrough this summer after the club failed to win promotion to the Premier League.

The 23-year-old can play as a defensive or attacking midfielder, and he has been linked with a move to United, given Michael Carrick is a known admirer of him. However, The Athletic say that while United like Hackney, he is lower on their list of targets, and a move to Old Trafford is not anticipated at present.

The development comes as Everton ramp up their attempts to sign Hackney, even though they face strong competition for the Sky Bet Championship’s Player of the Season.

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Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Crystal Palace have all been linked with Hackney.

Not only was Hackney named Championship Player of the Season after enjoying an excellent campaign, in which he made 39 appearances while contributing five goals and seven assists, but he was also named Boro’s Player of the Season, as they were beaten in the play-off final by Hull City.

While Everton plan to make a move, The Times report Boro are considering the gamble of taking Hackney into the final year of his contract in the hope it would increase their chances of promotion and the £200million bounty that reaching the Premier League would bring.

Carrick managed Hackney at Middlesbrough and, speaking in 2024, was full of praise for the England under-21 international.

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He said: “You couldn’t ask for much more from Hayden. He’s grounded, he’s humble, he’s down to earth and loves to learn. He loves the place and he loves the club as well.

“To have that, added with the talent he has got, it’s the perfect scenario. I think it just shows his consistency really, over a long period of time. It’s not easy when you’re a younger player, but he’s certainly done that.”

The now United boss also added: “There is a level of talent out there in and around football and sometimes it might not be that different player to player, but levels can be jumped, or not, if your head is not in the right place and you don’t go about your business in the right way and treat your profession with respect.

“Hayden certainly does that. He’s been exemplary really since I’ve been here and I really enjoy working with him. He’s desperate for more, desperate to learn, and he’s a real credit to his family, to himself and to the club.”

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England’s record at World Cups over the last two decades is built on painful exits.

The Three Lions have not lifted the trophy since 1966, and five consecutive campaigns have each carried their own sharp disappointment. With the 2026 tournament now approaching, Thomas Tuchel’s side have an opportunity to change that.

England’s involvement in this summer’s competition has already captured plenty of attention, with World Cup football betting reflecting strong confidence in Tuchel’s squad ahead of the group stage opener against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June.

First, let’s take a look back at how the last five campaigns ended.

2022: France, quarter-final

England’s most recent World Cup exit came at the quarter-final stage in Qatar, where they faced reigning champions France in Al Khor. Olivier Giroud headed France in front from a Kylian Mbappe cross before Kane equalised from the penalty spot, his 53rd international goal drawing him level with Wayne Rooney’s England record. France restored their lead through Giroud’s second headed goal of the night, and England pushed hard to find a way back into it.

With time running out, a second penalty gave Kane the chance to level the scores and force extra time. He uncharacteristically struck it over the bar, sending England home. It was a gut-punch ending to a campaign that had suggested this group of players were capable of going all the way, and Kane’s miss overshadowed what had otherwise been one of England’s more controlled and convincing World Cup performances in years.

2018: Croatia, semi-final

This remains England’s deepest World Cup run since 1990, and the exit still stings. Kieran Trippier’s free kick put England ahead inside five minutes in Moscow, and for long stretches of the game, Gareth Southgate’s side looked capable of reaching the final.

Ivan Perisic equalised in the second half, however, and Mario Mandzukic put Croatia ahead in the 109th minute of extra time. England were unable to respond and were sent packing in one of the most heartbreaking exits in years. England failed to even reach the podium of this tournament, as they were then beaten by Belgium in the play-off to finish fourth. For anyone wanting to revisit the head-to-head record ahead of the group stage opener this summer, the England v Croatia oddsreflect just how much weight that fixture carries.

2014: Group stage exit

The Brazil World Cup marked England’s worst World Cup exit in 56 years. Roy Hodgson’s side were placed in a tough group alongside Italy, Uruguay, and Costa Rica, and lost their opening two games to fall at the group stage for the first time since 1958.

Mario Balotelli headed Italy to a 2-1 win in Manaus, then Luis Suarez scored twice as Uruguay won 2-1 in Sao Paulo. A goalless draw with Costa Rica in the final group game was irrelevant. England left Brazil with two defeats, one draw, and a serious re-examination of the squad’s international capabilities.

2010: Germany, round of 16

England’s 2010 exit remains one of the most controversial moments in the Three Lions’ history. Germany beat England 4-1 in Bloemfontein, though the scoreline does not tell the full story of how the game unravelled. Frank Lampard’s shot clearly crossed the line shortly before half time, with England trailing 2-1 at the point the goal was disallowed.

Had it stood, the match would have been level going into the break, but instead Germany went in ahead and pulled away in the second half with two more goals. Fabio Capello’s side had been unconvincing throughout the group stage, and the defeat exposed how far the squad had fallen short of the expectations placed on them heading into South Africa.

2006: Portugal, quarter-final

The 2006 quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen produced 120 goalless minutes before another penalty shootout ended England’s involvement. Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side lost the shootout 3-1 after David Beckham had gone off injured in the first half.

Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher all failed from the spot, and England went home without a shot on target in 90 minutes against Portugal. It was a painfully familiar ending to another tournament that had promised more than it delivered.

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Like Jannik Sinner in the men’s draw, Sabalenka was the favourite to win a maiden French Open title this year.

With four-time winner Iga Swiatek and reigning champion Coco Gauff knocked out relatively early, Sabalenka was facing her best chance to win a first Grand Slam away from the hard courts of New York and Melbourne.

But Sabalenka – like Sinner in his second-round defeat by Juan Manuel Cerundolo -surrendered a huge lead in yet another massive upset at this year’s Roland Garros.

While Sinner struggled with cramping and dizziness in sweltering heat, Sabalenka only had herself to blame as she failed to adapt to the blustery conditions for a second year in a row.

Losses for Sinner, Sabalenka, Gauff and Novak Djokovic among others means that this is the first Grand Slam since the 1977 French Open that a former major champion has not featured in either the men’s or women’s semi-finals.

From complete control in the opening set and the start of the second, the 28-year-old Sabalenka faltered as Shnaider began to find her rhythm.

The left-hander caused all sorts of problems for the top seed with blistering forehand winners as Sabalenka struggled to put the ball in the court.

Losing the final set without winning a game was a sorry end and Sabalenka made a hasty retreat off court after hugging Shnaider at the net.

Sabalenka will now be left to rue on another missed opportunity – she has four major titles to her name but that is a puzzling return after reaching the semi-finals in 12 of her past 13 Grand Slam appearances.

In January’s Australian Open final, she was 3-0 up in the deciding set before Elena Rybakina fought back to deny the Belarusian a third Melbourne title.

Now another major has slipped away from the world number one’s grasp in a tournament that has been full of surprise.

The Cleveland Browns sent shockwaves throughout the National Football League this week when they traded reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett fresh off becoming the league’s single-season sack record holder.

Garrett was sent to the Los Angeles Rams for a large package that makes an already-stacked Rams squad even better, as the Browns now must adjust to life without Garrett for the first time since 2016.

Garrett requested a trade from the Browns last year, but the Browns wound up signing him to a four-year extension worth $160 million, seemingly keeping him in Cleveland through his 14th NFL season in 2030.

Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns celebrates during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, on Dec. 10, 2023. The Browns won 31-27. (Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

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However, the return of 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder was “too great” to pass up, said Browns General Manager Andrew Berry.

“Myles Garrett is a foundational player, Hall of Fame-worthy, and a homegrown talent who’s been here for a decade, and our intent was to have him be a one-helmet player for his career. That was the truth,” Berry told reporters on Tuesday.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

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“But there are moments where opportunities come up that quite honestly are unexpected and they force you to stop and reevaluate and look at it and say, ‘Is this something that could be really beneficial to the team?’ And that was the case in this instance. The opportunity was too great.”Last season marked Garrett’s second in which he was tabbed the league’s Defensive Player of the Year after recording 23 sacks. Garrett has recorded double-digit sacks in each of his last eight seasons and at least 14.0 in five straight.

Meanwhile, the push is on for the Rams, who extended Matthew Stafford for another season weeks after taking Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the draft.

Cleveland just had two first-round picks in April’s NFL Draft in which they took tackle Spencer Fano and wide receiver K.C. Concepcion — they now have two for next year as well.

Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns looks on during warmups before the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Oct. 26, 2025. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

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Verse has made the Pro Bowl twice in as many NFL seasons while recording 12.0 sacks and 22 tackles for loss as an outside linebacker.

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