Guardian unveil Next Generation 2025 with 60 of the world's best young football talents

The Guardian's annual youth showcase returns

The Guardian has published its Next Generation 2025 list, identifying 60 of the best young talents in world football. The feature, a fixture of the football calendar, once again turns the spotlight on the game's most exciting prospects from across the globe.

The series has built a reputation as a reliable barometer for future stars. Previous editions have tracked a remarkable cohort of players who went on to establish themselves at the highest level. The 2017 class, for example, profiled footballers born in 2000 and included Vinicius Júnior — then a teenage sensation who had already signed for Real Madrid — as well as a goalkeeper nicknamed "the Romanian Donnarumma."

Fans can follow the progress of earlier classes from 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, charting how those once-unknown teenagers have developed. The 2025 edition extends the Guardian's scouting reach once more, reaffirming the publication's commitment to tracking the next wave of talent set to shape the sport's future.

With 60 names spanning the world's leading academies and first-team squads, Next Generation 2025 offers supporters an early glimpse of the players likely to dominate headlines in the years to come.