2026 World Cup Young Player of the Tournament Predictions: Who will be the World Cup's best young player?

2026 World Cup Young Player of the Tournament Predictions: Who will be the World Cup's best young player?

We are so close now to this summer’s World Cup. So, it’s time to start looking at and predicting some of the players who will win awards come the end of the tournament. One of those and one of the most exciting ones is the young player of the tournament.

To be able to qualify for the young player of the tournament you must be 21 or younger at the start of the calendar year. In the 2022 World Cup this award was won by Enzo Fernandez and today, we will be looking at the players with the best chance of winning it this summer.

5 – Endrick (Brazil)

We start our prediction off with one of the Brazilian youngsters. Endrick has had a good season after he joined Lyon on loan. It was good enough that Carlo Ancelotti decided to give him a chance this summer to make his mark.

We have all seen his talent and with the chance that he will take that spot as the striker, he could have a good chance. He ranks 5th for one main reason, with Igor Thiago having had such a good season, he will more than likely be the starting striker, this means that Endrick will be looking to play catch up and take the starting spot. This is what damages his chances and puts him 5th on this list.

4 – Kenan Yildiz (Turkey)

One of the best players in the Serie A this season will be looking to make a big impact. With Turkey being a possible dark horse we could see them make a good run. With Yildiz having had such a strong season, he will be part of this possible good run.

The 21-year-old is dangerous with both feet and his ability to take a man on and attack the defenders will be massively valuable for Turkey this summer. Having scored 14 goals and provided 10 assists this season, he will be looking to add more to his tally and take his country far.

3 – Arda Guler (Turkey)

The man who takes the spot above Yildiz is his fellow country man Guler. We have put him above Yildiz as he has had experience at an international tournament before and has already been the main man for Turkey.

While his numbers haven’t been as good as Yildiz, he has still had a very strong season for Real Madrid. We believe that Guler will have more of an influence on Turkey and be the main man driving them forward in the World Cup.

🚨🚨| OFFICIAL: Arda Guler has been named UEFA Champions league best young player. 🏅🏆 pic.twitter.com/7rO2Lv1CbM

— Goals Side (@goalsside) May 31, 2026

2 – Lennart Karl (Germany)

Karl is a talent who has broken onto the scene this season and has set the world on fire. With Germany having an aging team he will bring that youthful energy to them as well as a vast amount of talent and excitement.

However, there could be some issues with his chances and that is the fact that the players around his position are some of the best in the world. With the likes of Musiala and Wirtz his minutes could be limited. However, we still believe that he will have his impact and will take a place somewhere in this Germany side that are looking for a strong run.

1 – Lamine Yamal (Spain)

We end this list off with the most obvious man to win the award and the man who will more than likely win it. He plays for the strongest side out of any of these youngsters. Along with that he is already a nailed-on starter for them and someone who will be influential.

Yamal has already helped Spain to a Euro’s victory and will be hoping to add a World Cup to his collection. With 41 goal contributions in 45 games this season, his is going into this tournament with flying form and will likely lead Spain to a very strong run.