⭐ MODEL FAVAGE 18
Lamine Yamal
Spain · FC Barcelona
Pre-tournament favourite. Reigning Kopa Trophy winner. Spain's primary attacking outlet from the right.
KOPA TROPHY · U-21 TRACKER · LIVE FROM MD1
Model fav: YamalTracker live · MD16 nominees
Who wins the WC 2026 Best Young Player?
FIFA's Best Young Player award goes to a U-21 standout (born on/after 1 Jan 2005). Pre-tournament shortlist plus live ranking from matchday 1 — the model re-ranks after every match. Last winner: Enzo Fernández, 2022.
QUICK ANSWER
The FIFA Best Young Player award at the 2026 World Cup will go to a player born on or after 1 January 2005. Pre-tournament favourites: Lamine Yamal (Spain), Endrick (Brazil), Désiré Doué (France). The Onside model re-ranks after every matchday based on minutes, xG involvement and team progression.
PRE-TOURNAMENT SHORTLIST · TOP 6
The six to watch
Six U-21 players the Onside model and scouts agree are in genuine contention. Updated live after MD1.
AGE 19
Endrick
Brazil · Real Madrid
Brazil's rotation striker. Likely impact-sub minutes from MD1 with a starting role unlocked by Group C qualification.
AGE 20
Désiré Doué
France · Paris Saint-Germain
France's wide-creator under-23. PSG form has been elite; nationally he'll fight Dembélé / Coman for wing minutes.
AGE 20
Warren Zaïre-Emery
France · Paris Saint-Germain
Box-to-box midfielder. Deschamps trusts him; expect 70+ min in every France group match.
AGE 19
Estêvão
Brazil · Chelsea
Brazil's emerging right-winger. Chelsea move places him on the global radar; squad rotation in Group C is unsettled.
AGE 19
Pau Cubarsí
Spain · FC Barcelona
Centre-back, locked-in starter for Spain. The model's sleeper pick — defenders rarely win this award but Yashin-style runs happen.
Best Young Player — every winner since 2006
The award has gone to a forward or midfielder in every edition. Defenders are statistically underweighted — a model edge if a Pau Cubarsí or William Pacho runs the tournament.
2022Enzo FernándezArgentina · age 21
2018Kylian MbappéFrance · age 19
2014Paul PogbaFrance · age 21
2010Thomas MüllerGermany · age 20
2006Lukas PodolskiGermany · age 21
WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS
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More from World Cup 2026
WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS
Get the World Cup brief in your inbox — plus early FPL 2026/27 picks
Match-by-match predictions, captain picks for World Cup Fantasy, likely scorers, and the first FPL 2026/27 differentials to watch. Same engine that powers our Premier League tools, pointed at the world's biggest pre-season.
Weekly digest
Captain picks, transfer tips & differentials — every week.
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SAME ENGINE · POINTED AT FPL
Tracking the World Cup? Use the same engine for FPL 2026/27.
v5 depth-2 GBT stacker · 51k+ OOS predictions · MAE 1.92. Captain picks, MILP squad optimiser, AI Coach, set-piece intel — the production Premier League tools.