This is the year you’ll learn more than you ever thought possible about players you never realised existed.
The 2026 World Cup, with its gigantic scale, expanded 48-team format and a raft of tournament debutants, is going to make household names out of a whole host of rising stars. And luckily for you, we have the inside track on those and others on their way to the top.
Our expert TOM COLLOMOSSE has been scouring the globe for the finest young talents that you haven’t yet heard of, but soon will, as they rise to prominence this year. These are the 22 names you need to know in 2026.
1. Bazoumana Toure
Age: 19 Club: Hoffenheim Country: Ivory Coast Position: Winger
Toure is a pupil of the ASEC Mimosas club in Ivory Coast and if you haven’t heard of them, you probably should have. Their academy produced some of Africa’s finest players including Kolo and Yaya Toure and Salomon Kalou.
Hoffenheim signed him a year ago from Swedish club Hammarby and he has since produed eight assists as well as a couple of goals in 27 league games.
He should get the chance to take on some of his Bundesliga colleagues this summer, as Ivory Coast will face Germany in Group E on June 20 in Toronto. Toure made his senior debut for Ivory Coast in October, playing 89 minutes of a 7-0 win in the Seychelles in qualifying, and his second cap saw him complete a dramatic fightback from two goals down to beat Gabon 3-2 at the Africa Cup of Nations on New Year’s Day.
Toure is described as a happy-go-lucky character and given his potential, it is no wonder. Like other players in this list, Toure is already attached to a prominent agency and has admirers across Europe. Another season or two with Hoffenheim should reveal the next steps.
Bazoumana Toure (right) is a product of the hugely successful ASEC Mimosas club in Ivory Coast
2. Christos Mouzakitis
Age: 19 Club: Olympiacos Country: Greece Position: Midfield
The Olympiacos prodigy bears a passing resemblance to Marco Verratti and when he takes the ball, the similarities with the former Italy playmaker are even stronger.
Mouzakitis is a class operator. Few players of his age – he turned 19 on Christmas Day – can dictate the pace of a game but this comes naturally to ‘Mouza’, who has already won seven Greece senior caps. For neutrals, it is a great shame that this generation of Greek players fell short in World Cup qualifying, but there should be many happier times ahead.
Mouzakitis has already seen his fellow Olympiacos youth…