The 23rd Fifa World Cup kicks off in North America on June 11 when co-hosts Mexico face South Africa at Estadio Azteca.The tournament will feature global stars, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Riyad Mahrez leading the way for Arab footballing talent. But the tournament could also provide a platform for the next generation of stars to announce their arrival on the global stage.Below we pick out five young players from the Middle East and North Africa who have the potential to light up the tournament.1. Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco)Age: 18Caps (goals): 3 (0)Club: LilleThe midfielder came through France’s youth set-up and, in March 2026, captained the Under-21s against Luxembourg in a Euro U21 qualifier. Bouaddi then chose to commit his international future to Morocco ahead of this summer's finals, making his debut in May's 5-0 friendly thrashing of Burundi. “We’re very proud and delighted to have him with us,” said Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi after naming Bouaddi in his World Cup squad. “The most important thing is that he is very proud to represent Morocco. He’s a good lad, very thoughtful, with lots of qualities. We could see straight away that he picked things up very quickly. It’s a pleasure to work with players like that.”He already made history at Lille, becoming their youngest player to appear in European club competition – in the Uefa Conference League aged 16 years and three days – and made 42 appearances across competitions last season, helping the French side reach the last 16 of the Europa League.Bouaddi is a central midfielder, usually a No 6 or No 8, strong in the tackle, good at winning loose balls and calm when opponents close him down. He is still developing in terms of reliable final product, but would offer Morocco strength, control and composure in midfield despite his lack of experience at senior international level.2. Ibrahim Maza (Algeria)Age: 20Caps (goals): 15 (2)Club: Bayer LeverkusenMaza is Algeria’s most exciting young attacker going into the tournament. The 20-year-old was born in Berlin, developed at Hertha Berlin, represented Germany at youth level but chose Algeria at senior level.He joined Bayer Leverkusen last summer where he has helped fill the creative void left by Florian Wirtz’s departure to Liverpool, making 44 appearances last season, scoring five and assisting seven. Despite being a very different player to Wirtz, Maza does occupy similar spaces, drifting into the pocket behind the striker or starting from wide before coming inside, but his game has a more physical edge. Kasper Hjulmand, who was sacked as Leverkusen manager at the start of June, said of Maza: “He's a top, top player. He's also a top person, who learns very quickly. He says 'Thank you!' and works super hard every day. He also learns super fast. He's just a great player who has a great future ahead of him.”For Algeria, he is skilful enough to open a game and strong enough to impose himself on it, making him an important player for coach Vladimir Petkovic.Algeria's Ibrahim Maza, left, battles for possession with Nathan Ake during their World Cup 2026 warm-up match. EPAInfo3. Hamza Abdelkarim (Egypt)Age: 18Caps (goals): 2 (0) Club: BarcelonaHamza Abdelkarim is Egypt’s exciting teenage striker and a raw talent looking to make his mark. The 18-year-old came through at Egyptian side Al Ahly before moving to mighty Barcelona where he has already shown huge promise in the Spanish side's youth ranks.Former Egypt international Mido described Abdelkarim as having “the fundamentals of a distinguished striker”, adding that he had not seen a centre forward with his qualities for a long time. Barcelona were drawn to him because he could provide the sort of tall, fast striker who would complement the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Fermin Lopez in the senior side for years to come.He has already been dubbed the “Egyptian Haaland” because of his size, speed and penalty box instinct, but his game is not only about goals. Abdelkarim’s movement is intelligent; he can pull centre-backs out of position, drift wide to open space for others but still arrive in the area to meet crosses. Named in an Egyptian World Cup squad that includes the formidable attacking talents of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, Abdelkarim only made his senior debut when he came off the bench with five minutes to go in the recent friendly against Russia. He also made a late substitute appearance in the next warm-up game against Brazil, after which he was spotted swapping shirts with Barcelona teammate Raphinha.4. Rayan Elloumi (Tunisia)Age: 18Caps (goals): 2 (0) Club: Vancouver WhitecapsElloumi's decision to play for the country of his parents' birth is one that has been welcomed with open arms by Tunisia. The 18-year-old forward grew up in Canada, developed with Vancouver Whitecaps and was also in Canada’s national team orbit before committing to Tunisia. Elloumi is the youngest player in Tunisia's squad and is a different kind of centre-forward who can run into the channels, drop short to link with midfield and is capable of holding up the ball with his back to goal.Tunisian outlet Tunisie Foot called him one of the country’s young gems after his rise in Vancouver, where he is now up to 17 MLS appearances, scoring twice. With Tunisia still searching for a clear first-choice striker, Elloumi’s movement, energy and variety could make him one to look out for.“It’s a big blessing because you can play for both countries, but at the same time it’s a little bit unique because, no matter who you choose, you always feel like you’re letting the other one down,” Elloumi said before heading off to join the Tunisia squad.“My decision to play for Tunisia was always an open conversation. I was never really pressured into it … It was really just my decision, and I felt it was the right decision for me to go play, and also to play in World Cup at 18 years old is an insane opportunity.”5. Musab Al Juwayr (Saudi Arabia)Age: 22Caps/goals: 34 (6) Club: Al QadsiahThe midfielder has already won 34 caps, scoring six goals, making him a key player for his national team. Al Juwayr started out at Al Hilal, before impressing on loan at Al Shabab and establishing himself at Al Qadsiah, where his creativity made him one of the standout Saudi performers in the league. By late 2025, he had started 22 consecutive matches for the national team and scored a crucial goal against Bahrain in World Cup qualifying, underlining his importance and how much responsibility he has already been given. Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah, an SPL veteran, called him “a player from the golden era” and the finest midfielder in the Saudi game.Al Juwayr is a No 10 who likes to receive the ball in pockets of space between midfield and attack, turn quickly and play defence-splitting passes. Saudi Arabia's Musab Al Juwayr tackles Issam Faiz of the UAE at the 2025 Fifa Arab Cup ReutersInfo