2026 World Cup: Five more breakout stars who could have defining tournaments

The FIFA World Cup has agelong served arsenic the eventual level for players to denote themselves connected the planetary stage, with past editions helping motorboat the careers of galore stars who arrived arsenic promising prospects and departed arsenic household names. 

With the 2026 tourney acceptable to get underway successful conscionable a substance of days, different procreation of emerging endowment volition soon person the accidental to execute connected football's biggest signifier and found themself arsenic 1 of the World Cup's breakout stars.

Stars including Lamine Yamal, Yan Diomande, Endrick, Luka Vuskovic and Gilberto Mora person already been identified by Sports Mole arsenic players to ticker retired for, and here, we instrumentality a look astatine 5 much young players who could person defining World Cup campaigns.

Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco)

Bouaddi opted to play for Morocco alternatively of France earlier this year, and the 18-year-old midfielder made his archetypal appearances for the Atlas Lions during the pre-World Cup warm-up fixtures. 

The teenage sensation has already played 96 times for Lille successful the past 3 seasons and is regarded arsenic 1 of the champion midfield prospects successful satellite football. 

Bouaddi joins a Morocco broadside wide tipped to spell heavy into the competition, pursuing connected from their semi-final exit successful 2022 and Africa Cup of Nations triumph earlier this year. 

If the Atlas Lions bash erstwhile again situation the world's starring nations, with Bouaddi playing a important relation successful immoderate success, past the midfielder could basal retired arsenic 1 of the champion young players astatine the full tournament.

Rayan (Brazil)

Rayan lone joined Bournemouth during the January transportation window, but the guardant has already established himself arsenic 1 of the Premier League's astir promising young players, earning himself a spot successful the Brazil squad astatine the World Cup. 

The 19-year-old, who scored 5 goals and registered 2 assists successful 15 Premier League fixtures, possesses frightening pace, directness and attacking instincts - attributes that marque him susceptible of giving immoderate defender nightmares.

The winger scored his archetypal extremity for the Brazilian elder squad successful the warm-up fixture against Panama, showcasing his objective finishing.

Although Rayan whitethorn not commencement the tournament, with the likes of Endrick and Raphinha apt up of him successful the database of close wingers, the 19-year-old could play a large relation successful changing games from the bench. 

If Rayan does get the accidental to interaction matches, expect the 19-year-old to depart the World Cup arsenic 1 of the astir talked astir young stars successful satellite football.

Esmir Bajraktarevic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bajraktarevic heads into the World Cup arsenic possibly the slightest well-known sanction connected this list, but that surely does not instrumentality distant from his phenomenal endowment and potential. 

The 21-year-old made 1 elder quality for the US nationalist squad earlier making the power to Bosnia and Herzegovina, meaning the guardant volition beryllium anxious to beryllium himself successful beforehand of a acquainted assemblage successful the United States. 

Bajraktarevic has already stepped up for Bosnia during World Cup qualifying, scoring a important extremity successful a 3-1 triumph against Romania, which confirmed their spot successful the UEFA play-off qualifiers for the tournament. 

The guardant was besides 1 of Bosnia's cardinal players successful their stunning punishment triumph against Italy successful the play-off final, registering six cardinal passes and completing a fantastic 8 dribbles, arsenic good arsenic scoring the decisive spot-kick to nonstop his state to the World Cup.

Bajraktarevic volition present beryllium looking to execute connected the World Cup signifier and pb Bosnia done a radical competing with of Qatar, Switzerland and Canada, and the guardant has each the attributes to unrecorded up to the occasion.

Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)

Another breathtaking cardinal midfielder, 20-year-old Manzambi enters the tourney disconnected the backmost of a beardown archetypal afloat play for Freiburg. 

Manzambi played a cardinal relation successful helping Freiburg scope the Europa League last and decorativeness seventh successful the Bundesliga, demonstrating his physicality and method quality passim the season.

Switzerland skipper Granit Xhaka has done an interrogation praising Manzambi, and with the youngster capable to play anyplace crossed midfield oregon successful wide guardant areas, the 20-year-old could assistance the federation bask a heavy tally into the competition. 

Switzerland, alongside immoderate awesome caller tournaments, person a past of players having breakout competitions, specified arsenic Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye, and Manzambi could beryllium adjacent successful line.

Can Uzun (Turkey)

Uzun is 1 of respective supremely talented young players successful the Turkey squad travelling to North America, alongside the likes of Kenan Yildiz and Arda Guler. 

The attacking midfielder has rapidly go a instrumentality favourite astatine Eintracht Frankfurt, including scoring 10 goals and registering 5 assists successful 28 appearances for the squad crossed each competitions successful 2025/26.

Although Uzun is not a guaranteed starter for Turkey heading into the tournament, his oculus for extremity and originative abilities could beryllium pivotal from the bench, particularly arsenic Turkey oculus a tally heavy into the competition. 

If Uzun tin replicate his nine signifier and show his prime astatine the World Cup, helium could permission North America arsenic 1 of the hottest prospects successful the world.