The 2026 World Cup has been scintillating so far. With no end of high-quality encounters and spectacular goals, this tournament is already looking like one of the best World Cups of all time.
Several young players have already made their mark. Today, we’ll be looking at five of the best of them, based on their performances in their opening games.
For this list, we’ll be limiting it to player who are of or under the age of 23. Anyone who exceeds this threshold won’t be considered for inclusion.
Nathaniel Brown
Yes, Nathaniel Brown didn’t have a particularly difficult run out against lowly Curacao, but he was extremely impressive nonetheless.
Giving the Southern Caribbean outfit no end of problems down the left hand side, he punished them for leaving so much space in behind and was happy to capitalise upon it.
Brown scored a goal and notched up an assist for Germany upon his World Cup debut – with a transfer to Bayern Munich looming, this certainly bodes well for the Bavarian giants.
Elliot Anderson
Elliot Anderson was utterly brilliant in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening game at the World Cup. Croatia have been a thorn in the Three Lions’ side over the years, but Anderson and company were able to put them firmly to the sword.
Showing plenty of energy, creativity and defensive nous, Anderson made up for Declan Rice’s below-par display to dominate the middle of the park.
Anderson could break the British record transfer fee with a £130 million move to Manchester City in the summer transfer window – on the evidence of this performance, we’d suggest he is worth every penny.
Jude Bellingham
Of course, Anderson wasn’t alone in England’s rip-roaring win. Jude Bellingham, who played just ahead of him in the number ten role, was similarly brilliant.
He complimented Harry Kane very well. He knows that Kane likes to drop deep to collect the ball – as such, he often pushed up further forward to fill the gaps and keep Croatia’s backline guessing.
While his attacking output was brilliant, we must also bring his defensive contribution into light. Bellingham isn’t know for it, but he made some excellent tackles and was energetic throughout.
Caleb Yirenkyi
Ghana might’ve only just scraped beyond Panama in their opening group game by a score of 1-0, but it wasn’t for lack of trying on Caleb Yirenkyi’s behalf.
Showing every bit of his technical acumen, he both passed the ball forward effectively and made a number of powerful runs through the centre.
Yirenkyi capped off his brilliant performance with a late goal against the Panamanians – he currently plays for FC Nordsjaelland in the Danish Super Lig. Could a big-money move take place in the summer?
Yasin Ayari
After the first set of group games, Sweden’s Yasin Ayari is a clear pick for the best young player at the 2026 World Cup as far as we’re concerned.
Graham Potter’s men entered the tournament having scraped through qualification, but they shook off the cobwebs and made a statement by demolishing Tunisia by a score of 5-1.
Yasin Ayari was at the heart of Sweden’s efforts. Scoring twice from midfield, his defensive contributions were also worthy of mention.