Youngest Nations League players: Luca Scanlon, Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Désiré Doué
Friday, October 9, 2026
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Gibraltar international Luca Scanlon is the youngest player to feature in the UEFA Nations League, beating Spanish stars Lamine Yamal and Gavi to the top spot.
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The UEFA Nations League has allowed plenty of rising stars to make their mark on the international stage, but who are the youngest to have taken the field?
We detail the youngest players to have featured in the competition.
Who are the ten youngest players in Nations League history?
16 years 261 days: Luca Scanlon (Gibraltar) vs Latvia, 31/03/2026
16 years 301 days: Patrik Kristal (Estonia) vs Sweden, 08/09/2024
17 years 13 days: Hamza Kadamani (Luxembourg) vs Bulgaria, 26/09/2026
17 years 19 days: Jorthy Mokio (Belgium) vs Ukraine, 20/03/2025
17 years 49 days: Loizos Loizou (Cyprus) vs Montenegro, 05/09/2020
17 years 54 days: Lamine Yamal (Spain) vs Serbia, 05/09/2024
17 years 57 days: Enzo Duarte (Luxembourg) vs Malta, 26/03/2026
17 years 62 days: Gavi (Spain) vs Italy, 06/10/2021
17 years 89 days: Christophe Andrade Brites (Luxembourg) vs Northern Ireland, 05/09/2024
17 years 107 days: Sofiane Ikene (Luxembourg) vs Faroe Islands, 14/06/2022
Gibraltar forward Luca Scanlon displaced Estonian midfielder Kristal as the youngest-ever player to appear in a UEFA Nations League match in March 2026, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute in the second leg of his country's play-off loss to Latvia.
The top ten includes two Spain and Barcelona gems in Lamine Yamal and Gavi, but Luxembourg are the best represented nation in the list with four: Hamza Kadamani, Enzo Duarte, Christophe Andrade Brites and Sofiane Ikene.
Who are the youngest players to feature in the semi-final and third-place match?
17 years 62 days: Gavi (Spain) vs Italy, 06/10/2021
17 years 327 days: Lamine Yamal (Spain) vs France, 05/06/2025
18 years 351 days: Yeremy Pino (Spain) vs Italy, 06/10/2021
19 years 16 days: Noah Okafor (Switzerland) vs England, 09/06/2019
19 years 73 days: Jadon Sancho (England) vs Netherlands, 06/06/2019
19 years 207 days: João Félix (Portugal) vs Switzerland, 05/06/2019
19 years 225 days: Wilfried Gnonto (Italy) vs Netherlands, 18/06/2023
19 years 298 days: Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands) vs England, 06/06/2019
19 years 345 days: Tom Bischof (Germany) vs France, 08/06/2025
20 years 2 days: Désiré Doué (France) vs Spain, 05/06/2025
It was a triumph of youth as Spain progressed from their Nations League semi-final against Italy in October 2021. A double from Ferran Torres, 21 at the time, helped them to a 2-1 win, while Gavi and Yeremy Pino became the youngest players to feature in the Nations League finals. Yamal has since squeezed between the pair after his two-goal showing against France in June 2025.
Who are the youngest players to feature in a Nations League final?
17 years 66 days: Gavi (Spain) vs France, 10/10/2021
17 years 330 days: Lamine Yamal (Spain) vs Portugal, 08/06/2025
18 years 355 days: Yeremy Pino (Spain) vs France, 10/10/2021
19 years 301 days: Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands) vs Portugal, 09/06/2019
20 years 55 days: Dean Huijsen (Spain) vs Portugal, 08/06/2025
Gavi remains the youngest player to feature in the Nations League's showpiece after starting in Spain's 2-1 defeat against France in 2021, though the Barcelona midfielder emerged with a winners' medal upon his return to the final in 2023. Even more remarkably, his second final appearance came at just 18 years and 317 days old, which is younger than third-placed Yeremy Pino on this list.