Lamine Yamal, Kendry Paez, Yan Diomande and Luka Vuskovic are among the teenage sensations aiming to make a mark at the 2026 World Cup. But what happened to the youngest players who made it to Qatar in 2022?

Reaching a World Cup as a teenager is a rare achievement that signifies extraordinary talent. Out of the 832 footballers who participated in the 2022 edition, only 19 (about 2%) were below 20 years old. While they were promising enough to represent their nations on football’s grandest stage, the question remains—have they lived up to that early potential?

Three and a half years after the Qatar World Cup, here’s a look at how the 10 youngest players from that tournament have progressed in their careers.

29 June 2003 (aged 19)

Just edging out fellow 19-year-olds Yunus Musah, Hannibal Mejbri and former England youth teammate Jamal Musiala is the Real Madrid superstar.

Since the World Cup, he has joined Real Madrid in a €103 million transfer, becoming a key figure as the club clinched both La Liga and the Champions League. He also became the first Englishman to reach the Ballon d’Or podium since Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in 2005. Quite an achievement.

Remarkably, at just 23 years old, the 2026 World Cup will already be his fourth major international tournament, and his 50th cap for England is on the horizon.

18 October 2003 (aged 19)

The Barcelona left-back had just broken into his boyhood club’s senior team when Luis Enrique handed him a surprise call-up for the Qatar World Cup.

He made his debut for Spain in their 7-0 rout of Costa Rica and featured in every subsequent match as Spain exited in the Round of 16.

Although he has made over 100 appearances for Barcelona, Balde’s career momentum has been hindered by injuries. Since the World Cup, he has only played three times for Spain, with his most recent cap coming in 2023.

24 October 2003 (aged 19)

Unlike others on this list, Zeno Debast didn’t get any minutes in Qatar, but he was part of Roberto Martinez’s Belgium squad.

Since then, he has grown into a national team regular and helped Sporting Lisbon win the league title.

A hamstring injury kept him out of Belgium’s recent warm-up friendlies, but he is close to returning and has been tipped as one of Belgium’s breakout prospects for the 2026 World Cup.

30 October 2003 (aged 19)

Another young central defender based in Portugal, Antonio Silva has played more than 100 matches for Benfica and looks destined for a lucrative move soon.

He featured in both of Portugal’s recent friendlies, helping keep clean sheets against the USA and Mexico, but surprisingly missed out on a spot in Roberto Martinez’s final 26-man squad. Silva remains on standby in case of injury replacements.

8 March 2004 (aged 18)

It’s unusual to see a player of Fatawu Issahaku’s calibre in League One.

The Ghanaian winger was one of Leicester City’s standout performers when they won the Championship with 100 points under Enzo Maresca a couple of seasons ago.

However, he struggled as the club’s fortunes declined, suffering two consecutive relegations. Fatawu remains a key player for Ghana, and the 2026 World Cup offers him a valuable opportunity to attract top-flight interest. It’s hard to imagine him staying in the third tier next season.

10 May 2004 (aged 18)

Another former Leicester City prodigy.

Moroccan midfielder Bilal El Khannous stood out during Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League. Too talented for the Championship, he joined Stuttgart on loan, a move that was later made permanent.

Under current Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who favours a more attacking brand of football, El Khannous is expected to play a key role in executing that vision.

15 June 2004 (aged 18)

Costa Rican winger Jewison Bennette was a Sunderland player when the Qatar World Cup took place, but he struggled to establish himself during their Championship campaign.

After a short loan spell at Aris Thessaloniki, he made a surprising move to Ukrainian side LNZ Cherkasy—an uncommon destination given the ongoing challenges in the region.

Bennette featured in all three of Costa Rica’s group-stage matches in Qatar, from the heavy 7-0 defeat to Spain to the memorable 1-0 win over Japan. However, he has barely played in recent seasons and will miss this summer’s tournament after Costa Rica failed to qualify.

5 August 2004 (aged 18)

Luis Enrique was a huge admirer of Gavi.

The midfielder became Spain’s youngest-ever debutant in 2021, just 62 days after turning 17—a record later broken by Lamine Yamal, another Barcelona academy graduate.

Like Alejandro Balde, Gavi’s progress has been disrupted by injuries, notably an ACL tear that kept him out for nearly a year, including Euro 2024, and further surgery that sidelined him for most of the 2025–26 season.

Since returning, he has yet to fully reclaim a starting spot in Hansi Flick’s Barcelona midfield but remains a key squad member and finished their 2025–26 title-winning campaign strongly.

15 September 2004 (aged 18)

This is quite the journey.

Garang Kuol was born in Egypt to South Sudanese refugee parents and raised in Victoria, Australia.

Before the 2022 World Cup, Newcastle United had already secured a deal to sign him from the Central Coast Mariners. He made a memorable impact in Qatar with a lively cameo during Australia’s valiant 2-1 defeat to eventual champions Argentina in the Round of 16.

However, Kuol hasn’t quite lived up to that early promise. Despite performing well for Newcastle’s Under-21s, he never made a senior appearance for the club and had underwhelming loan spells at Hearts and Volendam.

He hasn’t played for Australia in over three years, missed the 2026 squad, and is currently playing for Sparta Prague.

20 November 2004 (aged 18)

Many will remember Youssoufa Moukoko being hailed as the next big star when he broke through at Borussia Dortmund in 2020.

He became the youngest-ever Bundesliga debutant after replacing Erling Haaland a day after his 16th birthday.

Moukoko made his Germany debut in a pre-tournament friendly against Oman and came on as a late substitute during the shocking 2-1 loss to Japan. He stayed on the bench for the remaining group games and hasn’t featured for Germany since.

He left Dortmund for FC Copenhagen last summer and scored 18 goals in his debut season for the Danish club. Still only 21, there’s plenty of time for him to rediscover his best form.