Twenty new players to look out for

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Twenty new players to watch at World Cup 2026Image source, SportByChris BevanBBC Sport journalistPublished8 hours agoYou already know about the superstars who could light up the 2026 Fifa World Cup, but what about the next wave of talent? A record 1,248 players can feature in the USA, Canada and Mexico and, while there are few total unknowns, 891 of them are at their first World Cup, including plenty of unfamiliar faces looking to announce themselves on the global stage. Here, Sport's TV and radio World Cup commentators pick out 20 players from outside the Premier League and Scottish Premiership who are worth watching out for this summer.

Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast)Age: 19 Position: Winger Club: RB LeipzigImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Diomande has been linked with Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich but Leipzig insist he is not for sale and reportedly value him at more than 130m euros (£112m)Steve Wilson: One of the most sought-after signatures of the summer will be RB Leipzig's teenage winger though the German club are naturally unwilling to see him go. The winner of the Bundesliga rookie of the season award, Diomande only joined from Spanish side Leganes in July 2025 for a bargain 20m euros (£17. 2m) and promptly registered 21 goal contributions (12 goals and nine assists) in 33 league appearances to help Leipzig qualify for the Champions League.

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Diomande spent three years living in Florida after moving to the United States aged 15 so he should feel at home for the next few weeks. He missed Ivory Coast's March friendlies against South Korea and Scotland with a shoulder injury but started last week's shock World Cup warm-up win over France and looks certain to keep his place once the tournament kicks off. Gilberto Mora (Mexico)Age: 17 Position: Midfielder Club: TijuanaImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Mora was nicknamed 'The Mexican Pedri', 'The Mexican Pearl' and 'Crackito' (which translates to 'Little Maestro by the Spanish press after he starred against Spain at last year's Under-20 World Cup.

He has been linked with a move to Europe and is reportedly on the radar of Real Madrid and Manchester CityRadio 5 Live football correspondent John Murray: The youngest of all the players at this World Cup is a 17-year-old attacking midfielder who was described as a wonderkid at last summer's Gold Cup, when he became Mexico's youngest senior player aged 16. Not only that, coach Javier Aguirre then picked him in the team to start the final that Mexico won by beating Mauricio Pochettino's United States 2-1 in Houston. Steve Wilson: Mexico's young sensation is the youngest goalscorer in Liga MX history, getting off the mark for Tijuana in August 2024 when he was still 15.

He is the player on whom many home hopes will be pinned when they kick off the World Cup against South Africa in the Azteca - if he can find a starting berth in Aguirre's side.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.