Eight Right to Dream Academy Graduates Set for 2026 FIFA World Cup

Eight Right to Dream Academy graduates will represent four different countries at the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup.

Their stories are different, but they all share one thing in common: their World Cup journeys began long before the world was watching.

Representing Ghana, Ivory Coast, Norway, and Sweden, the eight graduates are:

Abdul Mumin (27) – Rayo Vallecano, Kamaldeen Sulemana (24) – Atalanta, Ernest Nuamah (22) – Olympique Lyonnais, and Caleb Yirenkyi (20) – FC Nordsjælland (Ghana) - Simon Adingra (24) – Monaco (Ivory Coast) - Andreas Schjelderup (22) – Benfica (Norway) - Daniel Svensson (24) – Borussia Dortmund, Benjamin Nygren (24) – Celtic (Sweden)

Five of the players – Mumin, Sulemana, Nuamah, Yirenkyi and Adingra – began their journeys at Right to Dream Ghana Academy, while Schjelderup, Svensson, and Nygren are graduates of the FC Nordsjælland Academy in Denmark.

Together, they will arrive at the World Cup with an average age of just 23.4 years old, highlighting the opportunities young players can earn when talent, long-term development, and trust align.

Before The World Watched

When the World Cup begins, most people will see the players. They'll see the goals, the celebrations and the unforgettable moments that define careers.

What they won't see are the years that came before them. The early mornings. The lessons in the classroom. The injuries, setbacks and disappointments. The work done when nobody was watching. The coaches, teachers, teammates, and family members who helped shape the person behind the player.

Those stories sit at the heart of Right to Dream. While we are incredibly proud to see these eight graduates reach football's biggest stage, our attention is drawn not only to the destination, but to the journey that made it possible.

From 2022 to 2026: One Generation Inspiring the Next

The selection of those eight graduates continues a growing tradition of Right to Dream graduates reaching football's biggest stage.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, seven graduates were named in tournament squads, namely Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Kamal Sowah for Ghana, alongside Mikkel Damsgaard, Andreas Skov Olsen, Victor Nelsson and Mathias Jensen for Denmark.

Now, four years later, a new group of graduates is preparing to take its place on football's biggest stage. Among them is Caleb Yirenkyi, the youngest member of Ghana's 2026 FIFA World Cup squad at just 20 years old.

And as the world turns its attention to the tournament, more student-athletes than ever before will be watching from Right to Dream's academies in Ghana, Egypt, Denmark and the US.

Not just as fans, but as young people who can recognize parts of their own journeys in the players they see on screen. Many of them are now walking similar paths, chasing similar ambitions and working toward moments of their own.

For them, the next World Cup story may already be underway.

What Comes Next

Over the coming weeks, Before The World Watched will explore the journeys that brought these players here, through conversations with teammates, coaches, and teachers.

Because while the World Cup may last only a few weeks, the journey to get there takes years.

Follow #BeforeTheWorldWatched on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn as we revisit the moments, people, and decisions that helped shape the people and players they have become.