What is the World Cup Young Player Award?
The FIFA World Cup Young Player Award is given to the young soccer star at each World Cup who has put in the best overall performance. The player will have to be at most 21 years old to be in the running for the award that is decided by the FIFA Technical Study Group. Here are the past winners of the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award:
| World Cup |
Young Player winner |
National team |
| 2010 South Africa |
Thomas Müller |
Germany |
| 2014 Brazil |
Paul Pogba |
France |
| 2018 Russia |
Kylian Mbappé |
France |
| 2022 Qatar |
Enzo Fernandes |
Argentina |
Pros and cons of World Cup Young Player betting
Chances are that you’ll be betting on the winner of individual World Cup games or even the whole tournament rather than the Young Player Award. However, we believe that the following pros and cons of betting on the Young Player Award should be considered:
Pros and Cons
- Lots of variance in the odds
- Plenty of potential candidates
- Fun way to liven up the World Cup
- Winning is not dependent on teams’ performances
- Can be tricky to get right
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Who’s leading in the 2026 World Cup Young Player betting?
There are literally hundreds of players competing in the 48 teams at this year’s World Cup, and plenty of them will be under the age of 21 years. However, we believe that the following youngsters have the best chance of winning the Young Player Award:
Lamine Yamal (Spain)
It’s hard to believe that this talented winger is still just 18 years old but he’s already put in several memorable performances for club and country. His dribbling skills and shooting ability are phenomenal, and he’s just one of the reasons as to why Spain are tipped to win the 2026 World Cup.
Endrick (Brazil)
While this 19 year old has had a hard time settling in the Real Madrid side, he’s found more game time at Lyon on loan and will be ready to put in a big performance for Brazil this summer. Keep your eye out for his incredible close-control dribbling and elite finishing ability.
Warren Zaire-Emery (France)
Anyone who’s seen this youngster play for his club side, Paris Saint-Germain, will know why Warren Zaire-Emery is on this shortlist. Aged just 20 years old, the midfielder has already been shown to have a commanding presence and devastating technical ability. Whether he can make an impression among the already hugely-talented French squad remains to be seen.
Nico O’Reilly (England)
Arguably one of the bright spots of Manchester City’s season has been the emergence of Nico O’Reilly who seems to be happy to play in defence, up front and pretty much anywhere else on the pitch. With exceptional maturity, he displays a natural goalscoring ability and the uncanny knack of being able to be in the right place at the right time. While he has had limited time in an England shirt, O’Reilly could have a big summer.
Best places for making your 2026 World Cup Young Player predictions
It should be pretty easy to find an online sportsbook who’ll let you bet on the World Cup Young Player Award, but you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting the best odds and overall service. So we’ve highlighted our three favorite sportsbooks below and included two social sportsbooks and one prediction markets site for good measure. Each of these sites offer odds and let you
grab a World Cup betting bonus before the tournament, so take a look and pick the one that suits you the best.
| Brand |
Type of site |
Sign up offer |
| FanDuel |
Online sportsbook |
Win your first bet of $5+ and get $150 in bonus bets |
| DraftKings |
Online sportsbook |
Make an opening bet of $5+ and get $200 in bonus bets |
| BetMGM |
Online sportsbook |
Losing first bet refund of 100% up to $1,500 in bonus bets |
| Legendz |
Social sportsbook |
500 Gold Coins and 3 Sweeps Coins |
| Thrillz |
Social sportsbook |
3,000 Thrillzz Coins and two Thrillzz Sweeps |
| Crypto.com |
Prediction markets brand |
None |
FanDuel – Superior World Cup Young Player odds
FanDuel Pros & Cons
- Seamless integration of sportsbook and casino
- Diverse casino game selection
- Frequent promotions for both platforms
- User-friendly and responsive interface
- High playthrough requirements on bonuses
We had to start with FanDuel as it’s arguably the biggest online sportsbook in the US. This means that you can sign up here from over 20 states, get a typically generous welcome offer and then look forward to competitive odds on the Young Player Award. FanDuel will also serve up top odds for all other World Cup markets and it’s got one of the best betting apps in the business too. Highly recommended.
DraftKings – Use this top welcome offer for World Cup Young Player betting
DraftKings Pros & Cons
- Extensive daily fantasy integration
- Frequent promotions and bonus offers
- Highly competitive betting odds
- Wide variety of casino games
- High rollover requirements on bonuses
If you are looking for a decent
World Cup betting bonus, then you will love what you find at DraftKings. This is because you can sign up here for the first time, make a $5 bet and then you will get $200 in bonus bets that you can use on the Young Player Award and much more. Everything else about DraftKings is as it should be, meaning that it has top iOS and Android odds, excellent promos for existing customers and full licensing in over 20 states across the nation.
BetMGM – Get even better Young Player odds at this sportsbook
BetMGM Pros & Cons
- Wide variety of betting options
- User-friendly mobile app interface
- Generous promotions for new users
- Extensive selection of casino games
- Limited availability in some states
BetMGM is well known for putting on odds boosts for some big markets and this means that you’ll need to check here once the brand’s Young Player Award odds are revealed. This is especially true as the sportsbook has a massive welcome offer that could refund your opening bet, if it loses, with potentially a lot of site credit. Just note that this deal has tight time limits if you’re thinking of using it on futures bets.
Legendz – A free way to predict the World Cup Young Player of the Year
Legendz: Pros and Cons
- Available in most US states
- User-friendly interface
- 24/7 live chat support
- Top sports coverage
- Can be tricky for new players
The first thing to understand is that there isn’t any real money gambling at social sportsbooks like this, you’ll be using virtual currencies to place your social wagers instead. The second thing is that Legendz is great fun as it’ll let you bet on things like World Cup Young Player odds completely free of charge. Plus there are some top promo offers here, with one recent deal on the brand’s Instagram giving away tickets for the USA’s first game at the 2026 World Cup.
Thrillzz – Check out this awesome social sportsbook
Pros and Cons
- You get a very generous welcome bonus
- Real cash prizes can be won
- Covers a wide array of popular leagues and sports
- Easy-to-navigate mobile app for easy play
- No desktop site available
- Limited payment options
This is another social sportsbook that’ll need to be checked out by anyone looking to bet socially on the World Cup Young Player Award. After all, you can sign up here from most states and then claim that welcome offer that’ll give you a free way to enjoy an entire world of social betting. Plus it’s worth noting that you only have to play through and win back at least 50 Tickets from your Thrillzz Sweeps winnings to be able to redeem them for cash prizes.
Polymarket – Worth a look for seeing potential World Cup Young Player winners
Polymarket: Pros and Cons
- Plenty of prediction market topics
- Trending and breaking areas of interest
- Lots of predictions in all major subject areas
- User-friendly site design
We thought that we should include at least one prediction markets site here, as these are becoming hugely popular all over the US. On these sites you trade event contracts across numerous sports markets. This works by purchasing either “Yes” or “No” contracts on which event you think will occur. The price for each contract is a direct reflection of market sentiment and highlights the likelihood of the outcome occurring. If you predict correctly, your purchased event contracts will settle at $1 and you’ll have made a profit. However, if your prediction is wrong your contracts settle at $0 and you will lose your investment. In this case, we turned to Polymarket as it’s already gearing up for the World Cup with a fascinating range of event contracts. The brand doesn’t currently have any markets for the Young Player Award, but that’s sure to change soon, and when it does you’ll find plenty of innovative trading options.
Step by step guide for using 2026 World Cup Young Player betting sites
We’re not saying that all online betting sites work in exactly the same way, but you’ll usually just have to take the following steps just to sign up and place your bets on the Young Player Award at this year’s World Cup:
-
Tap on any of the links for the online sportsbooks in the banners of this page to launch their site from the browser of your computer or mobile
-
Register your account by filling in the form with some basic personal details
-
Log into your newly created account and verify your identity with some government-issued photo ID
-
Add some funds to your account by making a deposit with one of the payment providers
-
Go to the soccer betting section and click on the 2026 World Cup tab
-
Navigate to the Futures section and find the Young Player Award odds
-
Tap on the young player who you think will win the award to have their relevant odds added to the bet slip
-
Enter your betting stake, double-check the potential returns and submit your bets
Top tips for making your World Cup Young Player predictions
Betting on the winner of the Young Player Award is going to be a little different from standard match-winner soccer bets. So be sure to keep the following tips in mind:
⚠️ Be careful of injuries
Just because a soccer player is young doesn’t mean that they are going to be resistant to injuries. So be sure to check the latest sports news and rumors to see if your chosen star has had any injuries that could stop their progress.
🚫 Don’t bother with defenders or goalkeepers
A quick look back over past winners of the Young Player Award have found them to be mostly forwards or midfielders. This means that you should probably look at the players in the
World Cup Golden Boot betting
rather than any defenders or goalkeepers.
🏆 Bet on players in the biggest teams
Many previous winners of the Young Player Award have come from teams that have gone on to win the World Cup that year. As such, you will want to check out the odds for the
World Cup winner betting
and see which teams have the best young players.
Check Out the Latest World Cup News
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Conclusion – Enjoy making your predictions on the World Cup Young Player of the Year
Betting on the Young Player Award at the World Cup offers you an interesting way to add an extra level of interest to this immense soccer tournament. After all, you’ll be watching the rising stars of the soccer world as they aim to make a lasting impact on the global stage, and there should be some exceptional performances on display.
Just remember that all forms of betting are risky, and this is especially true when it comes to futures bets like this. So be sure to tap on any of the links for the recommended
World Cup betting sites
in the banners of this page to register your account, set your limits and bet on the World Cup Young Player Award.
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World Cup Young Player of the Year betting FAQ
💰 Can I bet on the World Cup Young Player Award for free?
Possibly, but most
betting bonuses
will tend to require either a qualifying deposit or bet before you get anything in return. So if you really want to ‘bet’ on this award for free, your best shot is to use a social sportsbook, although you should note that there isn’t any real money gambling at these sites.
🏢 Can I bet on the World Cup Young Player Award in my state?
It’s fairly likely as online betting is available in well over 20 states nationwide. Check out the banners on this page to see what sportsbooks are available in your location.
🌍 Who is the best young soccer player in the world?
Most people would agree that Spain’s Lamine Yamal is the most exciting young player on the planet. However, England’s Nico O’Reilly and Brazil’s Endrick are also hugely talented youngsters.
🎁 Can I get any bonuses for betting on the World Cup Young Player Award?
Yes, most sportsbook bonuses will be usable for betting on the World Cup Young Player Award. Just note that many of these promos have tight time limits, so be sure to check the small print.
⚽ Who is the youngest player to win the World Cup?
The Brazilian legend, Pele, won the 1958 World Cup aged just 17 years and 249 days. From here he went on to become one of the best soccer players of all-time.
