SportsCatch
EN

Gilberto Mora: Mexico's 17-year-old prodigy targeting England upset in World Cup last 16

Mexico arrive at the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 unbeaten and yet to concede, with teenage attacker Gilberto Mora — the Liga MX's youngest-ever scorer — emerging as a key threat ahead of Sunday's clash with England in Mexico City.

1 min read
Gilberto Mora: Mexico's 17-year-old prodigy targeting England upset in World Cup last 16
Share

Mexico host England in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 in Mexico City this weekend having won all four of their group-stage games without conceding a single goal, with 17-year-old attacker Gilberto Mora establishing himself as one of the tournament’s most exciting young players.

England reached this stage with a narrow victory over DR Congo in Atlanta, largely thanks to Harry Kane, and face a considerably sterner test against Javier Aguirre’s side on home soil.

Who is Gilberto Mora?

Mora holds a remarkable collection of records in Mexican football. He is the Liga MX’s youngest-ever player and goalscorer, the national team’s youngest-ever debutant, and the youngest squad member at this summer’s expanded 48-team World Cup.

The attacker from Tijuana was handed a starting berth by Aguirre in Mexico’s Round of 32 win over Ecuador, and the teenager repaid that faith with a performance that underlined why he has been turning heads in the Liga MX despite only recently celebrating his 17th birthday.

Mora had already caught the eye on the international youth stage before this tournament. At the 2025 Under-20 World Cup he provided an assist in the opening game against Brazil, scored twice against Spain, netted the only goal in a win over eventual champions Morocco, and added another assist against Chile in the knockout rounds.

Small in stature but direct and combative, Mora is not shy of shooting on sight or putting himself about physically — qualities that have made him a natural fit for a Mexico squad that has been significantly disrupted by injuries in the build-up to the tournament.

El Tri have seen off South Africa, South Korea, Czechia and Ecuador to reach the last 16 with their defensive record intact. England, who have shown more vulnerability, represent a different level of opposition — but with a full stadium behind them and a teenager with nothing to fear, Mexico will fancy their chances of causing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.

Share
{# Sitewide native fullscreen interstitial — our own bet-CTA card blown up to a takeover (replaces the SDK overlay). The shared card animations + countdown load once, AFTER the interstitial markup, so the countdown script's first tick sees this card's node too (the in-read card, in
above, already exists). One include covers both surfaces. #}