FIFA 2026: Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi becomes second-youngest player after Pele to feature in WC quarter-final
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA 2026: Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi becomes second-youngest player after Pele to feature in WC quarter-final")
Morocco's midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and France's midfielder Manu Kone Photograph: (AFP)
The Moroccan midfielder also set another milestone by becoming the first African player to make five FIFA World Cup appearances before turning 20.
Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi made history after starting in his team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal against France on Friday (Jul 10). The 18 years and 280 days old played 62 minutes before Morocco lost 2-0 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. By appearing in the quarterfinal, Bouaddi became the second-youngest player ever to play in a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal. Only Brazil legend Pele was younger when he featured in the last-eight stage of the 1958 World Cup at the age of 17 years and 239 days.
In that 1958 quarterfinal against Wales, Pele scored the only goal of the match in the 66th minute to give Brazil a 1-0 victory. He also became the youngest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, a record that still stands.
The Moroccan midfielder also set another milestone by becoming the first African player to make five FIFA World Cup appearances before turning 20.
Bouaddi made his World Cup debut against Brazil on Jun 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. He also featured in Morocco’s second Group C match against Scotland on Jun 19 at Gillette Stadium.
Although he did not play in the group-stage match against Haiti, Bouaddi returned for Morocco’s Round of 32 clash against the Netherlands and the Round of 16 win over Canada.
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He then earned a place in the starting lineup for the quarterfinal against France, adding another achievement to his impressive tournament.
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Morocco's midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and France's midfielder Manu Kone Photograph: (AFP)
Ayyoub Bouaddi in FIFA WC 2026
| Against | Match | Minutes Played | Venue | Date |
| Brazil | Group C | Full match | MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford | Jun 13 |
| Scotland | Group C | Full match | Gillette Stadium in Foxborough | Jun 19 |
| Netherlands | Round of 32 | 79 minutes | Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe | Jun 29 |
| Canada | Round of 16 | 63 minutes | NRG Stadium in Houston | Jul 4 |
| France | Quarterfinal | 62 minutes | Gillette Stadium in Foxborough | Jul 9 |
