Hamza Abdel Karim, Barcelona's Spanish club player and Egypt national team striker, topped the FIFA list of the most prominent emerging talents in the world of the round leather.
With the countdown to the 2026 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Qatar, the FIFA website reviewed 7 stars who caused a stir in the world of football after participating in the previous edition of the World Cup.
Two participations in the World Cup
Hamza Abdel Karim topped FIFA's list of the most prominent emerging talents in football, which included 7 players from various nationalities and clubs, after shining on the pitches throughout the current year.
The FIFA website stated that after Abdel Karim's participation in the 2025 U-20 World Cup in Qatar, he joined Barcelona's ranks, coming from Al Ahly on loan, before the club decided to activate the purchase clause this summer.
FIFA added about the Egyptian striker, who scored two goals in four matches during the U-20 World Cup: "After shining with Barcelona's youth team, he was selected for Egypt's senior national team squad for the 2026 World Cup, and it was not merely to complete the roster; Abdel Karim participated in four of the Pharaohs' five matches."
Alongside European stars
FIFA ranked Hamza Abdel Karim's development at the same level as six other young talents who emerged in the U-20 World Cup, most notably Samuel Inacio, Borussia Dortmund's rising German star, and Rémi Hembert, Olympique Lyon's French player. (See photos)
For its part, the Spanish newspaper Sport focused on FIFA's report, stating: "Abdel Karim is no longer just one of Barcelona's most prominent emerging talents. His meteoric rise in recent months has brought him widespread fame outside the club and caught FIFA's attention."
It added: "His performance in the U-17 World Cup in Qatar was one of the main reasons that prompted Barcelona to sign the striker who dazzled everyone in Al Ahly's youth ranks."
Impressive performance against Birmingham
After the 2026 World Cup, Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick decided to promote the promising player to the club's first team, where he is currently participating in pre-season training for the new campaign.
Abdel Karim needed only a few opportunities to draw attention to himself again, as he managed to score two goals in his second friendly match with the team, against English side Birmingham City, in a match watched from the stands by Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.
Sport pointed out that, in addition to the goals, his performance showed some of the qualities that impressed the club, namely his ability to read the game inside the penalty area, his footballing sense in finding spaces, and his determination to finish attacks.
Hamza Abdel Karim's brilliance comes at a critical time for the Blaugrana attack, as the team has lost the services of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and continues to search for solutions in the centre-forward position.
After his participation in the Birmingham match, German coach Hansi Flick fielded Hamza Abdel Karim in two friendly matches during the Udine tournament in Italy, where he took part in the win over English side Nottingham Forest and the defeat to Italian side Udinese.
