2026 Record Book
Youth records depend on the competition: Da’vian Kimbrough debuted professionally at 13, Biniyam Abrha appeared in a top flight at 14, Max Dowman reached the Champions League at 15, and Lamine Yamal played in a EURO final at 17.
Who Is the Youngest Soccer Player? Record Breakers by Competition in 2026
There is no single universally recognized “youngest soccer player” record because professional football is split across leagues, divisions, federations and eligibility systems. In the 2025–26 season, Transfermarkt’s global youngest-player database lists Ethiopian midfielder Biniyam Abrha of Shagger City as the youngest player used in the tracked senior leagues, at 14 years and 4 months. Other major records belong to Da’vian Kimbrough in the USL Championship, Cavan Sullivan in MLS, Ethan Nwaneri in the Premier League and Max Dowman in the UEFA Champions League.
For the 2025–26 season, Biniyam Abrha is the youngest player listed in Transfermarkt’s tracked senior competitions, appearing for Shagger City in Ethiopia’s top flight at 14 years and 4 months. That does not make him an uncontested all-time world-record holder across every professional competition. The cleanest way to answer the question is by record category.
Verification: Transfermarkt lists Abrha’s first tracked senior appearance on 25 December 2025 at 14 years, 4 months. MLS, the Premier League, UEFA, the USL Championship and FIFA are used below for competition-specific records.
Youngest Soccer Player Records by Competition
The phrase youngest soccer player can describe very different records. A 13-year-old in a professional second-tier competition, a 14-year-old in a national top flight and a 15-year-old in the Champions League are all legitimate milestones, but they should not be collapsed into one claim.
| Record Category | Player | Age | Competition / Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngest tracked senior-league player, 2025–26 | Biniyam Abrha | 14y 4m | Shagger City · Ethiopian Premier League |
| Youngest USL Championship player | Da’vian Kimbrough | 13y 7m 13d | Sacramento Republic · 1 Oct 2023 |
| Youngest MLS player | Cavan Sullivan | 14y 293d | Philadelphia Union · 17 Jul 2024 |
| Youngest Premier League player | Ethan Nwaneri | 15y 181d | Arsenal · 18 Sep 2022 |
| Youngest Champions League player | Max Dowman | 15y 308d | Arsenal · 4 Nov 2025 |
| Youngest EURO finalist | Lamine Yamal | 17y 1d | Spain · EURO 2024 final |
| Youngest World Cup goalscorer | Pelé | 17y 239d | Brazil · 1958 vs Wales |
There is no FIFA-maintained all-leagues world ranking for the youngest professional debutant. TMJ therefore treats each record according to the competition or database that can actually verify it, rather than inventing one universal all-time hierarchy.
Biniyam Abrha: The Youngest Player in Transfermarkt’s 2025–26 Senior-League Database
Transfermarkt’s 2025–26 youngest-player overview places Biniyam Abrha first among the senior competitions it tracks. The attacking midfielder appeared for Shagger City in the Ethiopian Premier League on 25 December 2025 at 14 years and 4 months. The database lists Ethiopia’s Premier League as a first-tier competition.
That is a remarkable top-flight age, but the wording matters. Transfermarkt is a broad football database rather than the governing body of every league in the world, so TMJ treats Abrha as the youngest player in that documented 2025–26 dataset, not as an unqualified all-time global record holder.
Transfermarkt’s youngest-player database lists Abrha at 14 years, 4 months for his 25 December 2025 appearance.
Cavan Sullivan and Da’vian Kimbrough: Two Different Youngest-Player Records
Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player in MLS history when Philadelphia Union brought him on against New England Revolution on 17 July 2024. MLS records his age as 14 years and 293 days, 13 days younger than Freddy Adu had been on his 2004 debut.
But Sullivan is not the youngest player to appear in every professional American league. Da’vian Kimbrough debuted for Sacramento Republic in the USL Championship on 1 October 2023 at 13 years, 7 months and 13 days. The USL Championship identifies that appearance as a competition record.
Cavan Sullivan · 14y 293d
MLS officially lists Sullivan as its youngest-ever player after his Philadelphia Union debut in July 2024.
Da’vian Kimbrough · 13y 7m 13d
Kimbrough’s Sacramento Republic debut came more than nine months before Sullivan’s MLS record.
Nwaneri, Dowman and Yamal: Different Stages, Different Records
Ethan Nwaneri · Premier League
The Premier League records Ethan Nwaneri as its youngest-ever player. Arsenal introduced him at Brentford on 18 September 2022 at 15 years and 181 days.
Max Dowman · UEFA Champions League
Max Dowman pushed the elite-European record lower on 4 November 2025. UEFA confirms the Arsenal midfielder became the first 15-year-old to play in the Champions League, appearing at 15 years and 308 days against Slavia Praha.
Lamine Yamal · UEFA EURO
Lamine Yamal owns a different kind of youth record: UEFA lists him as the youngest player to appear in a European Championship final, at 17 years and 1 day, when Spain beat England in the EURO 2024 final. He also became the youngest EURO champion one day after his 17th birthday.
A Premier League debut, a Champions League debut and a EURO final are not interchangeable achievements. Keeping the competition attached to the record makes the page more accurate and more useful.
Pelé Still Holds the Youngest World Cup Goalscorer Record
Some youth records have survived for generations. FIFA’s World Cup record book places Pelé first among the tournament’s youngest goalscorers. He was 17 years and 239 days when he scored Brazil’s winner against Wales in the 1958 quarter-final.
The contrast is useful: a domestic or club debut and a World Cup scoring record measure different stages of a player’s development and should be compared cautiously.
Football’s youth records are not one race. They are a shelf of different record books, each with its own league, rules and level of competition.
The Best Answer Is a Record Map, Not One Name
If the question means “youngest player in a broad 2025–26 senior-league database,” Biniyam Abrha is the strongest documented answer in the dataset reviewed by TMJ. If the question means MLS, the answer is Cavan Sullivan. For the USL Championship, it is Da’vian Kimbrough. For the Premier League, Ethan Nwaneri. For the Champions League, Max Dowman.
That distinction is not nitpicking. It is what turns a catchy youth-record claim into a reliable football reference.
Youngest Soccer Player FAQ
Who is the youngest soccer player right now?
In Transfermarkt’s 2025–26 youngest-player database, Biniyam Abrha is listed first after appearing for Shagger City in the Ethiopian Premier League at 14 years and 4 months. There is no single official global registry covering every professional competition.
Who is the youngest professional soccer player in the United States?
Da’vian Kimbrough made his USL Championship debut at 13 years, 7 months and 13 days. In MLS specifically, Cavan Sullivan holds the record at 14 years and 293 days.
Who is the youngest Premier League player?
Ethan Nwaneri holds the Premier League record after appearing for Arsenal at 15 years and 181 days in September 2022.
Who is the youngest Champions League player?
Max Dowman became the youngest player in UEFA Champions League history at 15 years and 308 days for Arsenal in November 2025.
Who is the youngest player to score at a FIFA World Cup?
Pelé remains the youngest World Cup goalscorer. FIFA records him at 17 years and 239 days when he scored against Wales in 1958.
Is there a worldwide minimum age for professional football?
There is no single playing-age rule that applies identically across every professional league. Eligibility depends on federation rules, competition regulations, registration requirements, labor law and safeguarding rules in the relevant country.
How TMJ Verified the Youth Records
TMJ uses the governing competition or club source where one exists. Biniyam Abrha’s 2025–26 position is described as a database record because the available evidence comes from Transfermarkt’s global competition dataset rather than a single worldwide governing-body registry.
- Transfermarkt: Youngest Players Used in 2025–26
- MLS: Cavan Sullivan’s Record Debut
- USL Championship: Da’vian Kimbrough’s Record Debut
- Premier League: Ethan Nwaneri Youngest Player Record
- UEFA: Max Dowman and the Youngest Champions League Players
- UEFA: Lamine Yamal’s EURO Records
- FIFA: Youngest World Cup Goalscorers
This article does not present one universal all-time “youngest professional soccer player” because no single governing-body registry covers every league and division worldwide. Records are identified only where a competition or database provides a verifiable category.