Herrington, Elloumi among youngest players at 2026 FIFA World Cup

When the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, two of the youngest players at the tournament will be from MLS.

Colorado Rapids center back Lucas Herrington (Australia) and Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Rayan Elloumi (Tunisia) cracked the top 20 youngest players named to official squads.

The full list, seen below, includes global soccer stars like Bayern Munich midfielder Lennart Karl (Germany), FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal (Spain) and RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast).

Youngest players at 2026 FIFA World Cup

1. Gilberto Mora - Mexico (17 years & 240 days)
2. Hugo Sochůrek - Czechia (18 & 4)
3. Lennart Karl - Germany (18 & 109)
4. Ibrahim Mbaye - Senegal (18 & 138)
5. Hamza Abdelkarim - Egypt (18 & 161)
6. Bara Sapoko Ndiaye - Senegal (18 & 162)
7. Mladen Jurkas - Bosnia and Herzegovina (18 & 247)
8. Ayyoub Bouaddi - Morocco (18 & 252)
9. Kerim Alajbegović - Bosnia and Herzegovina (18 & 263)
10. Rayan Elloumi - Tunisia (18 & 267)
11. Lucas Herrington - Australia (18 & 279)
12. Behruzjon Karimov - Uzbekistan (18 & 308)
13. Lamine Yamal - Spain (18 & 333 days)
14. Kendry Páez - Ecuador (19 & 38)
15. Tyler Fletcher - Scotland (19 & 84)
16. Luka Vušković - Croatia (19 & 107)
17. Pau Cubarsí - Spain (19 & 140)
18. Yan Diomande - Ivory Coast (19 & 209)
19. Rayan - Brazil (19 & 312)
20. Endrick - Brazil (19 & 325)

Ages correct as of 11 June 2026.

Colorado acquired Herrington from A-League side Brisbane Roar FC on a pre-contract last August.

He's hit the ground running during his first MLS season, contributing 1g/1a in 16 matches while playing every available minute for Matt Wells' side.  

The 18-year-old center back is a relative newcomer for Australia with just three caps, though he could start for Tony Popovic's side at the World Cup.

Australia schedule: Group D

• June 14: Australia vs. Türkiye, 12 am ET | Vancouver, British Columbia 
• June 19: Australia vs. USA, 3 pm ET | Seattle, Washington
• June 25: Australia vs. Paraguay, 10 pm ET | Santa Clara, California

Elloumi originally made his international debut for Canada last January before filing a one-time switch to represent Tunisia. 

The 18-year-old forward debuted for the Eagles of Carthage during the March 2026 window and made a positive impression on head coach Sabri Lamouchi.

At club level, Elloumi has produced 2g/2a in 24 appearances (all competitions) for Vancouver. He signed a homegrown deal with the Whitecaps in September 2025, progressing from the academy to MLS NEXT Pro to the first team.

Tunisia schedule: Group F

• June 14: Tunisia vs. Sweden, 10 pm ET | Monterrey, Nuevo León
• June 21: Tunisia vs. Japan, 12 am ET | Monterrey, Nuevo León
• June 25: Tunisia vs. Netherlands, 7 pm ET | Kansas City, Missouri