Twenty-six players who previously competed in Northern Ireland’s Budget Energy SuperCupNI youth tournament have been named in squads for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The selected players represent 13 nations across four continents, including England internationals Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, Scotland’s Scott McTominay, Japan captain Wataru Endō, Mexico captain Edson Álvarez, and Spain’s Martín Zubimendi.

Others include Craig Gordon, Nathan Patterson, Anthony Ralston, Findlay Curtis (Scotland), Antonee Robinson (USA), Derek Cornelius, Tani Oluwaseyi (Canada), César Montes, Alexis Vega, Raúl Jiménez (Mexico), Yuto Nagatomo (Japan), Gonçalo Guedes (Portugal), Anthony Elanga (Sweden), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Ghana), Zidane Iqbal (Iraq), Axel Tuanzebe (DR Congo), Kenji Gorré (Curaçao), and Callan Elliot (New Zealand).

Many of these players first experienced elite international competition at the SuperCupNI, held annually across Northern Ireland. For instance, Rashford and Dean Henderson were part of Manchester United sides that won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014, while Mainoo featured for the club in 2019.

Tournament coordinator Sam Gamble said the selection of 26 graduates for the World Cup was a source of immense pride for all associated with the event. He noted that the players once visited as young prospects with aspirations of reaching the top, and the tournament gave them an environment to test themselves.

The 2026 edition of the SuperCupNI will take place from 26 to 31 July, with more than 60 boys’ and girls’ teams and over 1,200 players competing in more than 150 fixtures across five age groups. Top academies including Manchester United, Liverpool, Rangers, Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United are scheduled to participate.

Fixtures will be played across the Causeway Coast and Glens, Antrim and Newtownabbey, and Mid and East Antrim boroughs. The girls’ section finals are set for Dixon Park, Ballyclare, on 30 July, with the boys’ section finals returning to the Coleraine Showgrounds on 31 July.

Now in its 43rd year, the tournament continues to serve as a platform for emerging talent from around the world.