The World Cup 2026 hasn’t just belonged to the established superstars. A new wave of young talent has lit up the group stage and the knockout rounds. Here are the breakout stars of the World Cup 2026 so far. For the full picture, see our World Cup 2026 hub.
Nathan Saliba (Canada)
The 22-year-old Anderlecht midfielder has been at the heart of co-hosts Canada’s historic run to the last 16, scoring in the 6-0 rout of Qatar and laying on two assists from central midfield.
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco)
At just 18, the Lille midfielder has been one of the tournament’s youngest revelations. A French-born former France Under-21 captain who switched allegiance to Morocco in May 2026, Bouaddi anchored the Atlas Lions’ midfield on his World Cup bow — a composed 90-minute shift in the 1-1 draw with Brazil, winning nine duels and completing 91% of his passes — and started against Brazil and Scotland, coming off the bench against Haiti, as Morocco marched into the last 16.
Julio Enciso (Paraguay)
The 22-year-old Strasbourg playmaker has been Paraguay’s spark. He opened the scoring in the Round of 32 against Germany — the strike that helped knock the four-time world champions out on penalties — and has chipped in with assists throughout. Read our full Julio Enciso profile.
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
At just 20, the Freiburg midfielder has been one of the tournament’s purest breakouts. He scored three times in the group stage, including a brace against Bosnia-Herzegovina and a goal against Canada — remarkable poise for a teenager-turned-20 on the biggest stage.
Hélio Varela (Cape Verde)
Part of Cape Verde’s fairytale. The 24-year-old winger scored in the 2-2 draw with Uruguay as one of the smallest nations ever to reach the World Cup knockout rounds wrote history.
Elijah Just (New Zealand)
New Zealand’s surprise package. The 26-year-old winger announced himself with three goals — two in a 2-2 draw with Iran and another against Belgium — a late-blooming breakout on the world stage.
The next generation has arrived
From Enciso’s giant-killing strike to Manzambi’s teenage composure, the World Cup 2026 has been a launchpad for its brightest young talents — and the knockouts could yet turn them into household names. See more tournament storylines in our biggest shocks of the World Cup 2026.
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Young talents like Paraguay’s Julio Enciso, Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi and Canada’s Nathan Saliba have been among the breakout stars of the World Cup 2026 so far.
At 18, Morocco’s Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi has been one of the youngest players to make an impact, anchoring the midfield as the Atlas Lions reached the last 16.
Anderlecht midfielder Nathan Saliba, 22, has impressed in Canada’s run to the last 16, scoring against Qatar and adding two assists.
Enciso opened the scoring in Paraguay’s Round-of-32 win over Germany and has been one of the tournament’s standout young attackers.