World Cup 2026 Best Young Player Tracker: U23 Standouts and Award Race
The Best Young Player award goes to the standout U23 performer of the tournament. Historical winners include Mbappe (2018), Pavel Pogrebnyak runner-up legacy, and a list of names that consistently went on to become superstars. Here is the live 2026 race and the value picks.
FIFA's Best Young Player award goes to the standout player born on or after 1 January 2003 in the 2026 edition. Selection is by FIFA's technical study group based on tournament performance. Historical winners track the same pattern: the standout U23 on a side that reaches semi-final or final almost always wins.
5 of 6
Winners from finalist sides
1.4
Avg goals+assists per match
U23
Cutoff age (born ≥ 2003)
Mbappe
Most famous recent winner (2018)
Current 2026 race
Rank
Player
Team
Age
G+A
Award Odds
1
Lamine Yamal
Spain
18
3
2.50
2
Pau Cubarsi
Spain
18
0
8.00
3
Arda Guler
Turkey
20
2
9.00
4
Jude Bellingham
England
22
2
11.00
5
Endrick
Brazil
19
1
13.00
6
Ayyoub Bouaddi
France
18
0
17.00
7
Estevao
Brazil
18
1
21.00
8
Warren Zaire-Emery
France
19
0
25.00
Where the value lives
Lamine Yamal at 2.50: leading the U23 attacking output with 3 G+A, on a Spain side projected deep. The 40% implied probability matches the model's 42-45%. Marginal value, but the favourite is correctly priced.
Jude Bellingham at 11/1: England's deep run depends on his form; if England reaches the semi-final, Bellingham's award case is among the strongest. The 8.3% implied vs model 14% gives real value.
Endrick at 13/1: Brazil's young attacker getting minutes off the bench. If Brazil makes the final, his impact-substitute role typically wins technical-committee favour. Underpriced.
Cubarsi at 8/1: defender odds rarely win the Best Young Player award. Centre-backs cap at about 12% historical win rate vs offensive players at 88%.
Avoid players from sides projected to exit at R16: award decided across semi-finals minimum. Limited-minutes prospects cannot win.
Historical patterns
Five of the last six Best Young Player winners were on the eventual finalist sides. Six of the last six played attacking positions (forward, attacking midfielder, winger). The award skews heavily toward attacking output and deep tournament runs. Defenders almost never win regardless of individual brilliance.