World Cup Oldest and Youngest Players
This information about the oldest and youngest players at the World Cup includes data for 2022. See our top-10 lists of the Oldest and Youngest players at the World Cup.
Oldest Players
- 45-years and 161-days-old Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary took the field for his team's final group match against Saudi Arabia on 25 June 2018, and created history as the oldest player to appear at the FIFA World Cup. This surpasses the record set in 2014 by Colombia goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, who appeared in a 4-1 win over Japan on 24 June 2014 aged 43 years and 3 days old.
- Essam El Hadary also became the oldest to captain a team at the World Cup, and the oldest to debut in a World Cup.
- The oldest player to have scored a goal is Roger Milla of Cameroon when he scored against Russia in 1994. He was then 42 years and 39 days old.
- The oldest player to appear in the World Cup Final was 40 years and 133 days old Dino Zoff of Italy, in the game against West Germany on 11 July 1982.
- The oldest player in a World Cup qualifying match was MacDonald Taylor Sr. of the U.S. Virgin Islands who was 46 years and 175 days old in a game against Saint Kitts and Nevis on 18 February 2004, 2006 (CONCACAF First Round).
Pelé is the youngest player to have scored a World Cup goal Youngest Players
- Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside is the youngest ever player, being just 17 years and 41 days old when he took the field against Yugoslavia on 17 June 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.
- The youngest player in World Cup history to have scored a goal is Pelé, who scored against Wales in 1958 when aged 17 years and 239 days old.
- 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).
- The youngest player to captain a team at the World Cup was USA's Tony Meola, who was just 21 years and 109 days old in a game against Czechoslovakia on 10 June 1990.
Related Pages
- More World Cup Trivia
- World Cup Records
- Youngest Goal Scorers at the World Cup
- List of the Oldest and Youngest players at the World Cup
- Families at the World Cup — siblings, fathers, sons and other relatives
- World Cup FIRSTS
- Women's World Cup Trivia
- World Cup Quiz
- Oldest and Youngest at the Olympics
- More Sports Trivia
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