Team USA’s Inspirational Faith and Youth at the 2026 World Cup

Former professional soccer player and Seattle Sounders chaplain Jesse Bradley highlights the U.S. Men’s National Team’s remarkable start at the 2026 World Cup. The team achieved a historic milestone by winning their first two group stage matches since 1930. Central to this achievement is the team’s public display of faith, which has led to Bible studies and prayers following games. This spiritual aspect is bringing Americans together through soccer, a sport enjoying a rise in popularity.

The World Cup features players from across the globe shining on the prestigious stage. The tournament showcases talent from various age groups, with some players too young to legally drink alcohol in the host countries—United States, Mexico, and Canada. In the U.S., the legal drinking age is 21, while in Canada, it varies between 18 and 19, depending on the province. In Mexico, the drinking age is set at 18, yet some players, like 17-year-old Gilberto Mora of the Mexican team, aren’t old enough.

Here is information about young talents in the World Cup:

• **Gilberto Mora** – Mexico, 17 years old, born Oct. 14, 2008
• **Hugo Sochurek** – Czechia, 18 years old, born June 7, 2008
• **Ibrahim Mbaye** – Senegal, 18 years old, born Jan. 24, 2008
• **Hamza Abdelkarim** – Egypt, 18 years old, born Jan. 1, 2008
• **Bara Sapoko Ndiaye** – Senegal, 18 years old, born Dec. 31, 2007
• **Mladen Jurkas** – Bosnia and Herzegovina, 18 years old, born Oct. 7, 2007
• **Ayyoub Bouaddi** – Morocco, 18 years old, born Oct. 2, 2007
• **Kerim Alajbegovic** – Bosnia and Herzegovina, 18 years old, born Sept. 21, 2007
• **Rayan Elloumi** – Tunisia, 18 years old, born Sept. 17, 2007
• **Lucas Herrington** – Australia, 18 years old, born Sept. 5, 2007