World Cup 2026 Young Player Award (Best Odds & Top Contenders Ranked)

World Cup 2026 Young Player Award - An overview

The World Cup Best Young Player is an award that’s handed out to the player aged 21 or younger who is deemed to have performed the best throughout the tournament.

The final judgement is made by the FIFA Technical Study Group. While stats are taken into account, the final determination is somewhat subjective.

(Photo by Maddie Meyer - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

This makes the approach similar to other subjective decision-based awards like the World Cup 2026 Golden Ball betting. This separates it from the Golden Boot, which is 100% stats-based, most goals and assists.

The award has officially been running since 2006, when Lukas Podolski of Germany was the winner of the FIFA 2006 World Cup in his home country. However, retrospective winners from 1958 to 2002 were named in 2009 following a FIFA fan poll.

Pros and cons

• Award for the best young soccer star of the tournament
• Decided by the FIFA Technical Study Group
• Fun social betting opportunities

• Odds not offered on all social sportsbooks

When is the final decision?

The 2026 Best Young Player award will be decided following the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, on July 19, 2026. If the player who wins the award is present at the match, they will be presented with the award on the pitch.

Key facts

Here’s a summary of the key facts about this soccer award:

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Who will win the Young Player Award at the 2026 World Cup?

Below is a list of the top World Cup 2026 Young Player Award odds. Additionally, I’ll discuss the top five players who are favored to win the award.

Lamine Yamal (Spain) +130

Just 19 years old, Yamal has appeared in 6 matches for Spain and started all of them except in the 0-0 draw to Cabo Verde.

• Throughout this 2026 World Cup, he’s scored once, has 23 shots, and 10 shots on target.

Also, he’s won 6 tackles and has 2 interceptions.

We’ll see how he does against France.

Desire Doue (France) +275

Doue, 21, has scored once and also has 1 assist during this 2026 World Cup. His lone goal came in a 4-1 trouncing of a starter-less Norway, but his assist came in a 2-0 win over Morocco in the Quarterfinals.

• He’s made 11 shots, and 7 of them have been on target.

He and Yamal will face off, with the winner likely surging to the top of these odds.

Pau Cubarsi (Spain) +320

Cubarsi will turn 20 in January, and with that, at just 19 years old, he’s started every match for Spain, logging 90 minutes in each match as their center-back.

• He’s made three shots, including 1 on target.

He’s drawn 2 fouls, has 1 cross, and 3 interceptions.

Nico O’Reilly (England) +1000

O’Reilly, 21, has been active for England. He’s started all but one match for them.

• Coming off the bench, he played 25 minutes against Ghana and had two shots.

Overall, O’Reilly has 7 shots and 1 shot on target. He’s also drawn 4 fouls and has 5 interceptions.

Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) +1400

While Switzerland lost to Argentina, unfortunately, Manzambi didn’t suit up for that match, or the prior one against Colombia.

• He had a great 2026 World Cup prior to that, though, scoring 3 goals and racking up 2 assists.

If not for his knee injury, Manzambi might have an outside chance at winning this despite Switzerland losing to Argentina. He was great.

Latest Probabilities for the Young Player Award

Past World Cup Best Young Player winners

As with most FIFA Awards, you have to think about who will win the World Cup 2026 to help predict who will win. As you can see, the last three consecutive Young Player winners have come from teams that lifted the World Cup Trophy.

Best World Cup soccer social betting sites and prediction markets

Whether you want to place a social bet on the Young Player Award or the World Cup soccer matches in general, I’ve got you covered. Below, I’ve reviewed the three best social sportsbooks where you can wager socially on soccer using virtual currency instead of real money.

I’ve also included some key information, such as the World Cup betting signup offers on each site.

In addition to the top three special betting sites, we’ve also included Kalshi, which is a prediction market platform.

Here you can buy and sell event contracts on a diverse range of future events, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 Best Young Player.

Thrillzz - The best mobile social sportsbook for soccer

Bracco - Live and pre-game social wagering

Bracco: Pros and Cons

• Up to 2,000 Bracco Cash in welcome cashback
• Social sportsbook and social casino in one place
• Native iOS and Android apps available

• Not available in 9 U.S. states
• Relatively new platform

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Though not as good as Thrillzz for young player props and awards, Bracco is one of the best social sportsbooks for placing social wagers on World Cup matches.

You can find a whole host of pre-game and in-play bets, including 1x2 and Asian handicap markets. Moreover, it’s also a sweepstakes casino, so you have free games to keep you amused in between soccer matches.

• Like most social sportsbooks and sweepstakes casinos, this site uses a dual virtual currency system.

With Bracco Coins, you can bet for fun, and with Bracco Cash, you have the chance to redeem prizes, subject to conditions. The free signup offer here consists of 10,000 Bracco Coins and 5 Bracco Cash.

The site is available for US-based users aged 18+ in 41 states, but is prohibited in California, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, and New York.

Legendz - Best for hardcore soccer fans

Legendz: Pros & Cons

• Impressive welcome bonus
• Intuitive desktop and mobile sites
• No purchase necessary
• Legal in 37 US states

• High prize redemption limits

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Next up, we have another social sportsbook and sweepstakes casino combo site. Where Legendz shines is in its attention to detail. The dark social sportsbook interface uses a small font and packs plenty of information onto your desktop screen.

While it might be off-putting for beginners, this is ideal for dedicated soccer fans.

If you want to partake in breakout star of the tournament betting, you can also use the search bar to type the name of your favorite young player and see what props markets are available on them for futures and upcoming games.

• When you sign up, you'll get 500 Gold Coins (GC) and 3 Sweeps Coins (SC) to start placing your picks with, which is pretty generous.

You must be above 18 or the legal age for social betting and sweepstakes in your state to use this site. Currently, access is restricted if you’re in any of these locations: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, and Washington.

Kalshi - The World Cup prediction markets app

Kalshi: Pros and Cons

• CFTC-regulated
• Transparent pricing
• Low fees, no house edge
• Diverse event markets available

• Possible loss from volatility or market uncertainty

Visit Kalshi

Kalshi was the first app of its type to offer prediction markets for sports events and other future outcomes. Right now, you can find over 100 prediction markets related to the World Cup, including the Golden Boot and Best Young Player.

• Each prediction market has Yes/No event contracts that are priced from $0.01 to $0.99.

You cannot bet here, but instead trade event contracts for the prediction markets. For example, if you thought that Lamine Yamal would win, you could buy yes contracts for his market.

If he won the award, the purchased contract settled at $1 and you’d make a profit. If not, you’d make a loss.

Kalshi is a CFTC-regulated exchange that’s available for adults aged 18+ in all 50 states. However, prediction markets are risking and the law is subject to change, so keep yourself as up-to-date as possible with local legislation.

Crypto.com - Prediction Market Site with Crypto

Crypto.com: Pros and Cons

• CFTC-regulated prediction markets
• Rock-solid security systems
• Multiple rewards available
• Seamless registration process
• Apps for Android and iOS devices

• Only four prediction trading categories

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Crypto.com is the natural place for sports fans who prefer to use digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, or XBT rather than the more traditional Uncle Sam Dollar.

• Crypto.com is also an active sports predictions site, and naturally has loads of markets to get stuck into now that the 2026 World Cup is up and running.

Looking to the future means checking out the youngsters, and there are emerging names with each game. Before a whistle was blown, I was always drawn to the Spain and Barcelona wonderkid, the 18-year-old Lamine Yamal.

He didn’t start his team’s opening game (and they drew!), but has since shown what all the fuss is about.

The World Cup Young Player Award Odds were always going to be heavily in favor of him, and he’s indeed the favorite to win. The market is also favoring Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast), Desire Doue (France), and Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco).

Crypto.com offers prediction markets for the best young player in the tournament, as well as many others, like the Golden Ball, Glove, and which team(s) will make it into the final stages.

Place social wagers on the World Cup 2026 Young Player Award with ease

To conclude, the Best Young Player Award is given to the player aged 21 or younger who is deemed to have been the best performer throughout the FIFA 2026 World Cup. The award is decided by the FIFA Technical Study Group and will be presented after the final on July 19, 2026.

If you want to bet on the player who you think will win, you can do so for free using virtual currency at a social sportsbook. You can also trade event contracts on the outcome on prediction market sites like Kalshi. Via the banners on this page to get started.

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World Cup 2026 Young Player Award FAQ