The quarter-finals have cleared the field. Two weeks of knockout football have reduced five contenders to three. Bouaddi goes home with Morocco. Manzambi’s tournament ends with Switzerland. What is left is a final three — Yamal, Doué, and O’Reilly — all preparing for a FIFA World Cup 2026™ semi-final. The race, like the tournament itself, is reaching its conclusion.
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Lamine Yamal — Spain / Barcelona
La Liga Player of the Year at 18.
Still first. Still the benchmark. Against Belgium in Los Angeles, Yamal was central to everything Spain produced going forward — combining with Porro and Olmo in sequences that pulled Belgium’s defensive block apart and created the space Spain’s deeper runners exploited. The most emphatic individual moment came in the 47th minute: Cubarsí’s line-breaking pass released Yamal completely clean into the box, one-on-one with Courtois. He cut inside, picked his spot, and drove a low side-footed shot towards the bottom-left corner. Courtois, one of the world’s best, produced a spectacular reaction save with his left leg to deny him. Any other goalkeeper in this tournament, that is a goal.
Spain won 2-1, through Merino’s rebound in the 88th minute. He is now in the semi-finals. His opponent: France, and with them, Désiré Doué.
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Désiré Doué — France / Paris Saint-Germain
Back-to-back Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. Two consecutive seasons of being the best young player in one of Europe’s top leagues.
Doué also had a great performance in the quarter-final against Morocco. He provided the assist for Kylian Mbappé’s opening goal — the moment that finally broke Morocco’s extraordinary resistance in the 60th minute — and across the full 90 minutes created three scoring chances while finishing with 100% crossing accuracy. Long before that assist, he had already made his mark. In the 35th minute, he dispossessed Bouaddi — the very player — deep in Morocco’s half and drove a low shot towards the corner that Bounou had to react instantly to block.
France won 2-0 in the end, Mbappé breaking the deadlock in the 60th minute after Bounou’s extraordinary first-half resistance. Doué did not get the goal his performance deserved. He now faces Spain in the semi-final — and with it, Lamine Yamal. Two of the three players in this tracker are directly opposed. The semi-final in Dallas on 15 July will be the most important individual head-to-head in this award race.
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Nico O’Reilly — England / Manchester City
Premier League Young Player of the Year — recognition from the toughest domestic league in the world for a player who makes everything around him work better.
Three players, three different profiles. Nico O’Reilly’s case is built on neither goals nor assists. It is built on the type of contribution that wins matches without appearing on the scoresheet — the defensive intelligence, the work rate, and the awareness that allows better-known names around him to do their jobs.
Against Norway at Miami Stadium, O’Reilly started and was disciplined throughout the first half, during which England’s structure was under real strain. The match’s most telling moment came in the 43rd minute: Sørloth received a through ball with Haaland free beside him, and Norway had a genuine chance to double their lead. O’Reilly tracked. That run, that recovery, is why he plays. England’s first half would have looked very different without it. He played until the 86th minute, when Spence came on to add fresh legs for extra time.
England won 2-1 after extra time, Bellingham scoring twice. O’Reilly enters this tracker in third place. The argument for him is the argument for players who make the team function rather than players who make the headlines. As a left back, he will be in direct contest against Messi in their match against Argentina.
The Race — Where It Stands
Yamal leads. That has not changed through three updates and five matches. The semi-final against France — and the prospect of facing Doué directly — is the moment that could cement his case or create a genuine contest in the final days. Doué is the only player who can close the gap in one match. O’Reilly’s England face Argentina next, and if they reach the final, his sustained contribution throughout the tournament will merit serious consideration.
Two semi-finals remain. Spain vs France in Dallas. England vs Argentina. By the time those matches end, the Best Young Player award at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ will effectively be decided.
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