★ World Cup 2026Best Young Player Award Odds
Spain are through to the final after a 2-0 win over France, and the market has narrowed to the three nations still standing. Lamine Yamal (Spain) is the clear favourite at around 11/10, with team-mate Pau Cubarsí and England’s Nico O’Reilly next. Every France, Morocco and Switzerland name has dropped off the board, so ignore stale prices against Désiré Doué, Ayyoub Bouaddi or Johan Manzambi. England play Argentina tonight for the other place in the final. Player-by-player analysis and where we see the value below.
Best World Cup Betting Offers UK
12 Offers
What Is the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award?
The Best Young Player award is FIFA’s prize for the standout youngster of the tournament. To be eligible a player must have been born on or after 1 January 2005, and the winner is chosen by FIFA’s Technical Study Group rather than a public vote. Because the panel weighs the whole tournament, a deep run matters: every winner’s nation has reached at least the quarter-finals, and the two most recent winners, Kylian Mbappé in 2018 and Enzo Fernández in 2022, both came from the eventual champions.
That deep-run bias is why the market has collapsed onto the three sides still standing. With Spain already in the final, Lamine Yamal leads. He is eligible for this award and for the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player overall, so a strong Spain finish could see him feature in both markets.
Semi-Final Market Update — 15 July 2026
Spain became the first finalists with a 2-0 semi-final win over France in Arlington, Texas. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a first-half penalty and Pedro Porro added the second after the break. Spain are unbeaten and have kept a clean sheet in every knockout tie, which is why Lamine Yamal (around 11/10) and centre-back Pau Cubarsí (around 3/1) now sit one-two in the market.
England face Argentina tonight in Atlanta for the other place in Sunday’s final. The eligible young players there are England’s Nico O’Reilly (around 15/2) and Kobbie Mainoo, both born in 2005. Argentina bring no name to this market: Franco Mastantuono and Claudio Echeverri were both left out of Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man squad, and Nico Paz (born September 2004) falls outside the age cut-off.
The knockouts have cleared the rest of the board. Désiré Doué, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Leny Yoro are out with France; Ayyoub Bouaddi is out with Morocco; Johan Manzambi is out with Switzerland; and Endrick, Lennart Karl, Yan Diomande, Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız were already gone. None of them can win, so ignore any live odds still showing against their names.
World Cup 2026 Best Young Player Odds
Semis · To 15 Jul| # | Player | Nation | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamine Yamal | Spain | 11/10 |
| 2 | Pau Cubarsí | Spain | 3/1 |
| 3 | Nico O’Reilly | England | 15/2 |
| 4 | Kobbie Mainoo | England | Outsider* |
| — | Désiré Doué | France | Eliminated |
| — | Ayyoub Bouaddi | Morocco | Eliminated |
| — | Johan Manzambi | Switzerland | Eliminated |
| — | Endrick | Brazil | Eliminated |
| — | Lennart Karl | Germany | Eliminated |
| — | Arda Güler / Kenan Yıldız | Türkiye | Eliminated |
*Mainoo is eligible and in England’s squad but a market outsider with no prominent price. Odds are indicative to 15 July 2026 (source American prices: Yamal +110, Cubarsí +300, O’Reilly +750) and move daily, especially after tonight’s England v Argentina semi-final. Confirm the live price and player eligibility with your bookmaker before betting. Eliminated players cannot win the award whatever price a book still shows.
Player-by-Player Analysis
Yamal is the favourite and our top pick. He turned 19 on 13 July and is the creative hub of an unbeaten Spain side that has not conceded in the knockouts. His personal goal return is modest so far, but the Technical Study Group weighs overall influence, and he is also the Golden Ball favourite. With Spain already through to the final, he is the clear name to beat.
Cubarsí has risen to second favourite as the field thinned. The centre-back, 19, anchors Spain’s clean-sheet run, and a finalist’s defender is a live contender. The caveat is historical: no defender has ever won the modern award. If Spain lift the trophy without conceding, the panel could break that pattern, but it would be a first.
O’Reilly is the pick if you want an alternative to the Spain pair. The Manchester City man, 21, has broken through as a versatile inverted full-back and starts for Tuchel’s England at his first major tournament. A forward-leaning award rarely goes to a defender, but if England beat Argentina tonight and reach the final, 15/2 looks generous.
Mainoo is the each-way dart at bigger prices. A composed central midfielder, 21, he fits the Pogba and Enzo Fernández template of a winner from the middle of the park. He needs a run of minutes tonight and beyond, plus an England march to the final, to trouble the shorter prices.
Argentina reached the semi-final without a young name for this specific market. Franco Mastantuono and Claudio Echeverri were both left out of Scaloni’s 26-man squad, and Nico Paz was born in September 2004, before the 1 January 2005 cut-off. So even a run to the final would not put an Argentina player into Best Young Player contention.
Notable Players Missing Out
Some bookmaker lists still show players who cannot win the 2026 award. Do not back either group below: a player whose nation is out cannot win, and a player born before 1 January 2005 was never eligible in the first place.
Désiré Doué, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Leny Yoro (France), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco), Johan Manzambi (Switzerland), plus Endrick (Brazil), Lennart Karl (Germany), Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast) and Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız (Türkiye). All were fancied at some stage, but their nations are out, so they can no longer win.
Jude Bellingham (born 2003), Nico Paz (September 2004) and Alejandro Garnacho (2004) are all outside the age cut-off, so they were never eligible. Franco Mastantuono and Claudio Echeverri are young enough, but both were left out of Argentina’s squad, so they are not at the World Cup. Do not back any of them for this market.
Best Young Player Betting Strategy
A few principles we apply to the Best Young Player market at the semi-final stage:
- Make Yamal the primary pick. He is the favourite for a reason, and with Spain in the final you can correlate the bet with a Spain outright and the Golden Ball, so a Spain win pays across all three.
- Treat Cubarsí as the second favourite with a caveat. A finalist’s centre-back at 3/1 is live, but remember no defender has ever won this award.
- Wait for tonight before backing England. O’Reilly at 15/2 and Mainoo at bigger prices only make sense if England beat Argentina and reach the final. A place in the final transforms their case.
- Strike off the eliminated names. Doué, Bouaddi, Manzambi, Endrick, Karl, Diomande, Güler and Yıldız are all out with their nations, so any price against them is dead money.
- Never back an absent or ineligible player. Confirm a player is in the squad and was born on or after 1 January 2005 before staking, whatever a bookmaker list shows.
Historical Best Young Player Winners
| Year | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Enzo Fernández | Argentina |
| 2018 | Kylian Mbappé | France |
| 2014 | Paul Pogba | France |
| 2010 | Thomas Müller | Germany |
| 2006 | Lukas Podolski | Germany |
The FIFA Best Young Player award has run in its current form since 2006. Four of the last five winners were forwards or attackers; the two exceptions, Pogba (2014) and Enzo Fernández (2022), were central midfielders. Note that Pogba won it despite France going out in the quarter-finals, so a losing semi-finalist can still win. Defenders have never won the modern award.
More World Cup 2026 Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the World Cup Best Young Player award?
Any player born on or after 1 January 2005 is eligible. The winner is decided by FIFA’s Technical Study Group across the whole tournament. Every winner’s nation has reached at least the quarter-finals, and the last two came from the eventual champions.
Who is favourite for the 2026 Best Young Player award?
Lamine Yamal of Spain is the clear favourite at around 11/10. Spain are unbeaten, have reached the final after beating France 2-0, and Yamal is also the favourite for the Golden Ball.
Can a player win both the Golden Ball and Best Young Player?
Yes, in principle a young player can win both, and Yamal is eligible for each. In practice they usually go to different players: in 2018 Kylian Mbappé won Best Young Player while Luka Modrić took the Golden Ball.
What positions usually win the Best Young Player award?
Forwards and attackers dominate: four of the last five winners were attacking players. The exceptions, Paul Pogba in 2014 and Enzo Fernández in 2022, were central midfielders. Defenders have never won the modern award.
Which fancied young players are out of the award now?
Désiré Doué (France), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco) and Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) are all out after the quarter-finals, joining Endrick (Brazil), Lennart Karl (Germany), Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast) and Türkiye’s Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız. None can win now, so ignore any live odds against their names.
What is the best each-way Best Young Player strategy?
Make Yamal the primary pick and correlate it with a Spain outright and the Golden Ball. If you want an alternative, wait for tonight’s England v Argentina result: England’s Nico O’Reilly at around 15/2 becomes far more appealing if England reach the final.