World cup news : Ghana, Nigeria have youngest squad

With an average age of 25.44, Ghana’s Black Stars have been credited with the most youthful squad in Brazil.

The average age of Ghanaian and Nigerian players at the 2014 World Cup are the smallest in the competition, official data provided show.


With an average age of 25.44, Ghana’s Black Stars have been credited with the most youthful squad in Brazil.

Nigeria comes second with an average age of 25.8.

The honour of fielding the youngest players is coming back-to-back for Ghana having fielded the average youngest side at the South Africa 2010 World Cup where they were so close to setting a new African record of making it to the semi-finals.

Meanwhile Argentina is credited as the oldest team in Brazil. The South Americans have a total of eight players who are 30 or over; and have an average age of 28.9, just ahead of Honduras, Uruguay and Portugal.

Cameroon’s Fabrice Olinga is the youngest of all 736 players at the competition. He was born in May 1996 and is10 months younger than England’s Luke Shaw.

At the other end, Colombia goalkeeper, Faryd Mondragon, is the oldest of the entire tournament by five years at 42 and will turn 43 two days after his side’s second game of the competition.

Heading into football’s most prestigious competition, some teams have adopted a more youthful approach than others while most have gone for a blend of each.

Youngest squad
1. Ghana 25.4
2. Nigeria 25.8
3. South Korea 26
4. Belgium 26
5. Switzerland 26.1
6. Germany 26.3
7. Australia 26.4
8. Netherlands 26.5
9. England 26.6