Pau Cubarsi was named the best young player of the FIFA World Cup 2026, becoming the first defender ever to win the award. The 19-year-old Barcelona centre-back started all eight of Spain’s matches on the way to the title, partnering Aymeric Laporte in a defence that kept seven clean sheets and conceded a single goal across the entire tournament, the fewest ever by a World Cup winner. In the final, he helped shut Lionel Messi out of the game completely, and he was the player fouled for the red card that decided it.
Key Takeaways
- Pau Cubarsi won the FIFA Young Player Award at the 2026 World Cup, given to the tournament’s best player under 21.
- He is reported to be the first defender to win the award, which has historically gone to attackers and midfielders.
- He started all eight matches at 19 years old, anchoring a defence that conceded one goal in the whole tournament.
- He is one of only five teenagers in history to win the World Cup.
- Previous winners of the award include Pelé, Landon Donovan, Kylian Mbappé and Enzo Fernández, the man sent off for fouling Cubarsi in the final.
Young player awards tend to reward the spectacular: the teenager who scores four goals, the winger who beats three men. Cubarsi won his by not being beaten, which is a much harder thing to notice and a much harder thing to do at 19 in a World Cup knockout round.
What did Pau Cubarsi do at the World Cup 2026?
He played every minute that mattered. Cubarsi started all eight of Spain’s matches, from the goalless opener against Cabo Verde to the extra-time final against Argentina, forming a centre-back pairing with Aymeric Laporte that finished the tournament as its most effective. Spain kept seven clean sheets, conceded only Charles De Ketelaere’s header in the quarter-final against Belgium, and became the meanest defence ever to win the competition.
The Round of 16 against Portugal gave a clear measure of him. Cubarsi spent the evening dealing with Cristiano Ronaldo in what turned out to be the last World Cup match of Ronaldo’s career, and Spain won 1-0 without conceding. In the quarter-final against Belgium, he also contributed at the other end: it was his long-range shot that Belgium’s goalkeeper could only spill, and Mikel Merino turned in the rebound for the winner.
The final was the fullest demonstration. Argentina, the highest-scoring team in the tournament, did not manage a single shot on target across 120 minutes, and Messi was starved of any meaningful possession in dangerous areas. Cubarsi was also directly involved in the game’s turning point: he reached a loose ball ahead of Enzo Fernández in the 93rd minute and was sent flying by the challenge that followed, earning Fernández a second yellow card and leaving Argentina to play all of extra time with ten men.
Why is a defender winning this award significant?
The FIFA Young Player Award goes to the best player at the tournament aged under 21, and its roll of honour is dominated by players who score and create. Pele won it in 1958, Landon Donovan in 2002, Kylian Mbappe in 2018, and Enzo Fernandez in 2022. Cubarsi is reported to be the first defender to take it, which reflects both his own campaign and the character of this particular World Cup, decided by the best defensive side rather than the best attacking one.
There is a neat symmetry in it. The previous winner, Enzo Fernández, was the man whose foul on Cubarsi ended Argentina’s hopes of keeping the trophy, and two of the four names above him on that list, Mbappé and Messi, finished this tournament behind a Spain side built around teenagers.
Cubarsi also became one of only five teenagers in history to win the World Cup, a list that begins with Pele in 1958.
Who is Pau Cubarsi?
Pau Cubarsi Paredes was born on January 22, 2007, in Bescanó, a small town in the province of Girona in Catalonia. He joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2018, at 11 years old, moving roughly an hour and a half from home to do it, and he has been at the club ever since.
His rise was unusually fast even by La Masia standards. He made his first-team debut on January 18, 2024, as a substitute in a Copa del Rey tie against Unionistas de Salamanca, and made his first start in the next match against Real Betis, the day before his 17th birthday. Less than two months later, on March 12, 2024, he was named player of the match on his Champions League debut in a 3-1 win over Napoli, becoming the youngest player ever to debut in the competition’s knockout phase at 17 years and 50 days and breaking a record previously held by David Alaba.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Born | January 22, 2007, Bescano, Girona |
| Position | Centre-back |
| Club | Barcelona (La Masia from 2018) |
| First-team debut | January 18, 2024 |
| Senior appearances for Barcelona | 128 |
| Spain debut | March 2024 |
He was called into the senior Spain squad by Luis de la Fuente in March 2024, debuting in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Colombia. At club level, he has now made 128 senior appearances for Barcelona and won back-to-back La Liga titles, and in July 2025, he was ranked the sixth-best centre-back in world football by Sports Illustrated and ESPN, a year before he started a World Cup final.
What makes Cubarsi’s game so advanced for his age?
The quality that stands out is anticipation rather than athleticism. Cubarsi defends by reading where the ball is going and arriving there first, which is why he is able to hold a very high defensive line without being exposed for pace, and why he rarely needs to make the recovery tackles that get young centre-backs booked. Spain’s entire structure at this World Cup depended on defending a long way from their own goal, and that only works with defenders who position themselves correctly before the danger arrives.
The other half of it is composure on the ball. Spain built from the back throughout the tournament, and Cubarsi was a primary route out of pressure, comfortable enough in possession to step into midfield and, as Belgium discovered in the quarter-final, to shoot from distance when the space appeared. For a 19-year-old to do that in a World Cup knockout tie, against elite pressing, is the part of his campaign that most impressed observers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Best Young Player award at the World Cup 2026?
Spain centre-back Pau Cubarsi won the FIFA Young Player Award at the 2026 World Cup, given to the tournament’s best player aged under 21. He was 19 and started all eight of Spain’s matches.
How old is Pau Cubarsi?
Pau Cubarsi is 19. He was born on January 22, 2007, in Bescanó, in the province of Girona in Catalonia.
What club does Pau Cubarsi play for?
Cubarsi plays for Barcelona. He joined the club’s La Masia academy in 2018 at the age of 11, debuted for the first team in January 2024 and has made 128 senior appearances, winning back-to-back La Liga titles.
Is Pau Cubarsi the first defender to win the World Cup Young Player Award?
Yes, according to reports of the 2026 award. Previous winners such as Pele, Landon Donovan, Kylian Mbappe and Enzo Fernandez were all attackers or midfielders.
Was Cubarsi involved in the red card in the World Cup final?
Yes. Cubarsi reached a loose ball ahead of Enzo Fernández in the 93rd minute of the final, and the reckless challenge that followed earned Fernández a second yellow card. Argentina played the whole of extra time with ten men and lost 1-0.
How many goals did Spain concede at the World Cup 2026?
One in eight matches. Charles De Ketelaere scored for Belgium in the quarter-final. It is the fewest goals conceded by any team that has won a World Cup, and Cubarsi started every match of that run.
