The FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup is about to begin. Who are Queenballers’ players to watch?

Tomorrow, 5 September 2026, the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup kicks off in Poland. At Queenballers, we’ll be covering the tournament in detail. To start with, we introduce five players who we believe are worth keeping an eye on and could shine at the tournament.

Giulia Galli (Italy)

The AS Roma player starred at last year’s U17 World Cup in Morocco, scoring in every match she played. Despite Italy being eliminated in the quarter-finals, Galli finished as the tournament’s third-highest goalscorer, behind two North Korea players from the winning team.

Galli is also coming off a very successful season. She won a domestic double with AS Roma, scored twice in the league and earned a place in the NXGN rankings. It is no surprise that Barcelona have started showing interest in her.

Lola Brown (England)

Another young star who, despite her age, is already finding her place among the very best. The Malta-born Chelsea academy graduate spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace, an experience that helped her gradually break into Chelsea’s first team, her dream club, where she also gets to play alongside one of her biggest role models, Lucy Bronze.

Brown was given opportunities for Chelsea particularly at the World Sevens tournament. This summer, she signed a new contract that will keep her with the Blues until at least 2029.

Audrey McKeen (USA)

Audrey McKeen, or McQueen as she is nicknamed, is one of the youngest players to watch at the World Cup. The 17-year-old forward is the youngest member of the USA squad and is already playing professionally for Racing Louisville. She signed for the NWSL club in January 2026 after developing at Virginia Development Academy and scored her first professional goal against Orlando Pride in August, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Racing Louisville history.

Her journey to Poland has not been straightforward. McKeen was not selected for the USA squad for the previous U17 World Cup, but responded by establishing herself in the professional game and earning a place in Vicky Jepson’s U-20 team. Despite her age, regular training alongside senior professionals in the NWSL could make McKeen an interesting player to follow in Poland.

Laia Lopez (Spain)

Already experienced with winning mentality from U19 Euro this summer. The 19-year-old joined Real Madrid at the age of 15 and worked her way through the club’s youth teams and Real Madrid B before earning a permanent place in the first team following Misa Rodríguez’s departure. She had already made her senior debut in May 2025, starting Real Madrid’s final two Liga F matches of the season.

Her sporting background is unusual for a goalkeeper. López played basketball from the age of five and continued combining it with football until she was 14, something she credits with improving her reflexes, jumping and vision of the game. She is already a three-time European champion at youth level, winning one title with Spain U17 and two with the U19s, including the 2026 European Championship, where she started the clean sheet 1:0 victory in the final. Real Madrid sees her quality, offering her a contract until 203é this summer.

Sheika Scott (Costa Rica)

Sheika Scott may be only 19, but she is already a U20 World Cup veteran somehow. The Costa Rican forward is heading to her third consecutive U20 World Cup after featuring at the 2022 and 2024. She also played at the senior FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, becoming the youngest Costa Rican ever to appear at the tournament at just 16. 

She also became  the youngest goalscorer in the history of Costa Rica's women's top division while playing for Municipal Pococí when she was just 14. Her performances at home earned her a move to Europe in 2025, when she left Alajuelense to join Paris FC on a contract until 2028.