A look at how World Cup stars young and old are faring after first week

By: The Associated Press Posted: 9:19 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2026

Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper has become a star at this World Cup, and a Senegal teenager scored in his tournament debut.

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Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper has become a star at this World Cup, and a Senegal teenager scored in his tournament debut.

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Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper has become a star at this World Cup, and a Senegal teenager scored in his tournament debut.

Here’s a look at some of the oldest and youngest players as the 48-team tournament enters its second week.

Elder statesmen

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the pitch after the World Cup Group K soccer match between Portugal and Congo in Houston, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)

No better place to begin than the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal star will be disappointed to not have found the back of the net in a 1-1 draw with Congo on Wednesday. FIFA said Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match.

Luka Modric, 40, led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final but got off to a rough start against England on Wednesday, when his foul led to Harry Kane’s penalty goal. The midfield great was subbed off before the hour mark in a 4-2 loss.

There are several 40-year-old goalkeepers on World Cup rosters. Manuel Neuer of Germany might be the best known of the bunch, but Cape Verde’s Vozinha has joined the chat. The unheralded goalkeeper played a big role in holding Spain to a 0-0 draw. His mom hopes to be at their next match — Sunday against Uruguay in Miami.

Lionel Messi is a sprightly 38 — he turns 39 next week — and dazzled in Argentina’s opener by scoring a hat trick against Algeria.

Young guns

Mexico teenager Gilberto Mora got a big cheer from the home fans when he entered as a substitute in the second half of El Tri’s 2-0 victory over South Africa. The 17-year-old midfielder, the youngest player on the World Cup rosters, plays for Tijuana in Liga MX and is being tracked by several top European clubs. Mexico faces South Korea on Thursday in Guadalajara.

Senegal forward Ibrahim Mbaye made an immediate impact in his World Cup debut. The 18-year-old French-born Mbaye came on in the 75th minute against France and scored in stoppage time of their 3-1 loss to Kylian Mbappé and company. Senegal will play Norway on Monday.

Ayyoub Bouaddi, 18, stood out in the midfield for Morocco in its 1-1 draw with Brazil. The teenager played for France at youth level but switched to Morocco just in time for the World Cup.

Egypt forward Hamza Abdelkarim, 18, came on as sub in 1-1 draw with Belgium, replacing star Mohamed Salah in 76th minute.

The biggest of the young guns is Spain’s Lamine Yamal, who turns 19 next month. He only recently returned from a hamstring injury and was pressed into action as a sub in Spain’s draw with Cape Verde.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup