Youngest Players at the World Cup
The youngest player to appear at the World Cup was Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside, who was just 17 years and 41 days old in 1982. The youngest player in a World Cup Final was Pelé of Brazil, when he appeared in the final against Sweden in 1958. He was then only 17 years and 249 days old. See also our list of the oldest players, and Oldest and Youngest Players Trivia.
Top-10 List of the Youngest Players
| Rank | Age | Player | Country | World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 years, 41 days | Norman Whiteside | Northern Ireland | 1982 |
| 2 | 17 years, 98 days | Samuel Eto'o |
Cameroon | 1998 |
| 3 | 17 years, 100 days | Femi Opabunmi |
Nigeria | 2002 |
| 4 | 17 years, 184 days | Salomon Olembe |
Cameroon | 1998 |
| 5 | 17 years, 234 days | Pele |
Brazil | 1958 |
| 6 | 17 years, 244 days | Bartholomew Ogbeche | Nigeria | 2002 |
| 7 | 17 years, 353 days | Rigobert Song | Cameroon | 1994 |
| 8 | 18 years, 25 days | Carvalho Leite | Brazil | 1930 |
| 9 | 18 years, 68 days | Garang Kuol | Australia | 2022 |
| 10 | 18 years, 87 days | Manuel Rosas | Mexico | 1930 |
Other noteworthy young players
- The youngest player to appear in a qualifying match was Souleymane Mamam of Togo who was just 13 years and 310 days old, in a game against Zambia on 6 May 2001 (CAF Group 1).
Related Pages
- World Cup Records
- Oldest Players at the World Cup
- World Cup Oldest and Youngest Players Trivia
- Top-10 List of the Oldest and Youngest players at the World Cup
- More World Cup Trivia
- World Cup FIRSTS
- Women's World Cup Trivia
- World Cup Quiz
- Oldest and Youngest at the Olympics
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