What South Africa have in common with Spain and Norway at the 2026 World Cup

[p]Young guns [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory[/a] Coast are the only squad with an average age under 26, coming in at 25.9.[/p][p]That includes 19-year-old winger [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diomande-yan/0p2ORrJi/"]Yan Diomande[/a], who has the potential to be one of the most exciting players at the World Cup, and is the only teenager in their squad.[/p][p]Nine of their 26 players are aged 23 or younger, while the oldest is midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/seri-jean/fq8rAzEM/"]Jean Michaël Seri[/a]. Only four of their squad are over the age of 30.[/p][p]Second on the list of youngest squads by average age are [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ecuador/8tbm8Tri/"]Ecuador[/a] at 26.1 years, followed perhaps surprisingly by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] (26.4) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bosnia-herzegovina/fqe7WYTr/"]Bosnia-Herzegovina[/a] (also 26.4).[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/W2ijYvlr/"]South Africa[/a] come in joint sixth on the list at 26.8 years, the same as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]Norway[/a].[/p][image alt="Mexico's Gilberto Mora is the youngest player at the tournament" id="9a83785e-7f32-4cbc-8fe6-92fd6b4ca99c" credit-line="FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP" guid="3c486090-439c-466f-a41e-82d02bf7b762" original-width="3921" original-height="2612" /][p]The youngest player at the tournament is actually from co-hosts [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mexico/O6iHcNkd/"]Mexico[/a], who Bafana Bafana meet in the tournament opener in Mexico City on June 11. He is midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mora-gilberto/6oBtqO4C/"]Gilberto Mora[/a], who will be 17 years and 240 days old when the tournament kicks off.[/p][p]He will be the only player under the age of 18, with the next youngest [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sochurek-hugo/ddoXctfi/"]Hugo Sochurek[/a] of another of Bafana’s Group A opponents, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/czech-republic/6LHwBDGU/"]Czech Republic[/a], who will be 18 years and four days old. The midfielder’s 18th birthday will be on Sunday.[/p][p]The youngest player ever at a World Cup finals was Northern Ireland's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/whiteside-norman/j7KJUjH8/"]Norman Whiteside[/a] when he played against Yugoslavia at the 1982 World Cup in Spain aged 17 years and 41 days, breaking the previous record held by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pele/vLlLXqRh/"]Pelé[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/iran/xrRx85iA/"]Iran[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/panama/OWKqbCfi/"]Panama[/a] are tied for the oldest squads at the World Cup, averaging 30.4 years each.[/p][p]Iran’s oldest player is 37-year-old centre-back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/khalilzadeh-shoja/z90Lzavq/"]Shoja Khalilzadeh[/a], while they have 16 players out of 26 who are over the age of 30. Left-back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hajsafi-ehsan/CdJzhxZa/"]Ehsan Hajsafi[/a] and right-back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rezaeian-ramin/0GXvoGYk/"]Ramin Rezaeian[/a] are both 36.[/p][image alt="Cristiano Ronaldo is the oldest outfield player at the World Cup" id="228205f3-ba5a-4caf-9051-271bb000092c" credit-line="CHARLES MCQUILLAN / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP" guid="0cc7dea4-a3f5-4a75-9c6c-c48985d225b7" original-width="2151" original-height="1433" /][p]Panama have also gone for experience and have included 38-year-old winger [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/quintero-alberto/jPZsg8SI/"]Alberto Quintero[/a], though he is some way short of being the oldest outfield player at the tournament, which is [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ronaldo-cristiano/WGOY4FSt/"]Cristiano Ronaldo[/a] at 41 years and 126 days old at kick-off.[/p][p]But even Ronaldo is not the oldest overall. That honour goes to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/scotland/fZRU25WH/"]Scotland[/a] goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gordon-craig/6ZbYTgJO/"]Craig Gordon[/a] at 43 years and 162 days.[/p][p]That is still some way short of the all-time record holder, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/egypt/bejDn7NN/"]Egypt[/a] goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/el-hadary-essam/Q3P4Gguh/"]Essam El Hadary[/a], who was 45 years and 161 days old when he played against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saudi-arabia/biSY8ox4/"]Saudi Arabia[/a] in 2018.[/p][p] [/p][h2]Average age of squads at the 2026 World Cup:[/h2][p][b]25.9: [/b]Ivory Coast[/p][p][b]26.1: [/b]Ecuador[/p][p][b]26.4: [/b]Morocco[/p][p][b]26.4:[/b] Bosnia-Herzegovina[/p][p][b]26.7: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tunisia/QqZVYk95/"]Tunisia[/a][/p][p][b]26.8: [/b]Spain[/p][p][b]26.8: [/b]Norway[/p][p][b]26.8: [/b]South Africa[/p][p][b]26.9: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/algeria/nc87N1BR/"]Algeria[/a][/p][p][b]26.9:[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/usa/fuitL4CF/"]United States[/a][/p][p][b]27.0: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/nNBjHale/"]Ghana[/a][/p][p][b]27.0: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a][/p][p][b]27.1: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a][/p][p][b]27.1: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a][/p][p][b]27.2: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a][/p][p][b]27.2: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/iraq/K8aAGt6r/"]Iraq[/a][/p][p][b]27.4: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/xSrf6qMM/"]Australia[/a][/p][p][b]27.6: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a][/p][p][b]27.6: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/haiti/nk4v10Z1/"]Haiti[/a][/p][p][b]27.6: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/belgium/GbB957na/"]Belgium[/a][/p][p][b]27.6: [/b]Czech Republic[/p][p][b]27.7: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/turkey/QeijuHo5/"]Turkey[/a][/p][p][b]27.7: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a][/p][p][b]27.8: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/japan/ULXPdOUj/"]Japan[/a][/p][p][b]27.9: [/b]Mexico[/p][p][b]28.0: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a][/p][p][b]28.0: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/curacao/bLLGpOkQ/"]Curaçao[/a][/p][p][b]28.0: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a][/p][p][b]28.1: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-korea/K6Gs7P6G/"]South Korea[/a][/p][p][b]28.1: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-zealand/rLctHkpU/"]New Zealand[/a][/p][p][b]28.3: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/rHJ2vy1B/"]Switzerland[/a][/p][p][b]28.3:[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a][/p][p][b]28.4: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jordan/vNcmJoU2/"]Jordan[/a][/p][p][b]28.5:[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uzbekistan/EZYKKRMc/"]Uzbekistan[/a][/p][p][b]28.5: [/b]Saudi Arabia[/p][p][b]28.6: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/austria/naHiWdnt/"]Austria[/a][/p][p][b]28.8: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uruguay/xMk44orG/"]Uruguay[/a][/p][p][b]29.0: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paraguay/YaNlqp6j/"]Paraguay[/a][/p][p][b]29.1: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a][/p][p][b]29.1: [/b]Egypt[/p][p][b]29.1: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/d-r-congo/phn9mm8H/"]Democratic Republic of the Congo[/a][/p][p][b]29.2: [/b]Scotland[/p][p][b]29.2:[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a][/p][p][b]29.4: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/qatar/zqzHL77i/"]Qatar[/a][/p][p][b]29.7: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cape-verde/MocyWdm7/"]Cape Verde[/a][/p][p][b]30.1: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colombia/G02s4PCS/"]Colombia[/a][/p][p][b]30.4: [/b]Iran[/p][p][b]30.4:[/b] Panama[/p]