Wonderkids

The best FM27 wonderkid is Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, rated 99 on FM Scout's provisional list, ahead of Arsenal's Max Dowman on 94, and he also heads FMInside's FM27 wonderkids table at 90 current and 98 potential. Both sites built their lists from the Launch Preview database, which players have had since the free preview opened at 6pm GMT on Oct 29, 2026. That data is provisional: SI warns the preview "may contain data that does not, at this time, accurately reflect real world data", and FM Scout says its ratings "are not final at this point". Every name below comes from those two lists as they stood on Nov 1, 2026, and this page will be checked again after the Nov 10, 2026 release.

Quick facts

Sources: FM Scout, Oct 29, 2026; FMInside; FM Scout, Oct 31, 2026.

Who are the best FM27 wonderkids?

FM Scout's Stam published the FM27 list on the night of Oct 29, 2026, the day the free Launch Preview opened. It holds 848 players with a Potential Ability of at least 150, aged 20 or under on Jul 13, 2026, the game's early pre-season date in England. The rating is FM Scout's own 1 to 100 score, made in "quick draft" mode and to be adjusted daily. These are its top 15 as read on Nov 1, 2026, with ages and positions as FM Scout gives them:

Source: FM Scout (Stam): Football Manager 2027 Wonderkids, Revision 1, Oct 29, 2026.

Just behind them on 90 are Dennis Seimen (VfB Stuttgart), Yan Diomandé (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG), Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth) and Kerim Alajbegović (Juventus); Endrick of Real Madrid, FM Scout's top pick a year ago, sits on 89.

The best wonderkid in each position

FM Scout splits its list into ten tables. The leader of each, as of Nov 1, 2026, from its FM27 list:

Clubs are as the preview database has them on Jul 13, 2026, the save's start, so a move made in real football since then may be missing.

FMInside's FM27 wonderkids

FMInside's player database switched to "FM 27 (27.0.0)" data for the Launch Preview. Its Wonderkids filter (age up to 21, potential rating from 79.4) found 336 players on Nov 1, 2026, sorted by current rating on FMInside's own scale, with an estimated transfer value range. Its top ten that day:

Source: FMInside: FM 27 Wonderkids, read Nov 1, 2026. FMInside says its values are rounded estimates and "the final transfer fee may differ."

The two lists measure different things. FM Scout ranks potential among players aged 20 or under, so 16-year-olds like Max Dowman rank high; FMInside sorts by today's ability up to age 21, so established 21-year-olds lead. FMInside also offers the list as a downloadable FM27 shortlist (.fmf) to import in game; FM Scout does not.

Abdellah Ouazane, the developer's tip

Before the free preview, SI developer Antony Farley told FourFourTwo that Ajax's 17-year-old left winger Abdellah Ouazane "looks like he's going to be a very strong player this year". FM Scout's list agrees: it rates him 91, joint seventh overall.

Cheaper wonderkids

Most of the names above cost a fortune or are not for sale. FM Scout's Oct 31, 2026 Bargain Wonderkids list keeps "just over 420" under-21s with an asking price of up to £7.5M, and two of its highest rated, Rui Araki (Gamba Osaka) and Däulet Orynbasar (Qaırat-Jastar), are on the main top 15 too. The full table is on Bargain Players.

How do you find your own wonderkids in FM27?

The lists are a starting point; the game's own tools find the rest.

• Scouting Range. SI's first-hours guide says to set it on the Player Database screen beside your budgets, since it decides how far your scouts reach and how much they spend. See Recruitment and Scouting.
• 29:52 Attribute masking. With "Allow Player Attribute Masking" on, scouting must reveal attributes, so a list read from the database can know more than your scouts do.
• 1:45 Tactical fit. FM27's Scout Reports now show Tactical Effectiveness, whether a target suits your setup. See Tactical Effectiveness.
• 6:52 Your own academy. The Youth Setup Overview shows academy players near the first team, and the annual Youth Intake comes later in the season. See Youth Development and Newgens and How to Develop Youth Players.
• 6:26 NXGN 50. SI says the NXGN 50 list of 50 wonderkids appears in an in-game message.

Young players in FM27 also weigh game time more heavily when they decide whether to join, so a promise of minutes matters more than before. See Transfers and Contracts.

Will the wonderkids change at release?

Possibly. FM Scout writes that its list was built with "alpha versions" of its in-house tools because the pre-game editor is not available until Nov 10, and that clubs, wages and attributes may differ in the final game. SI says some preview assets may be absent. Saves made in the preview do carry into the full game, though (see Save Carry Over), so a preview save keeps the players it started with. Potential Ability can also be a range in the database, which is why a list's rating is not a promise of how good a player will become in your save.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the best wonderkid in FM27? Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, rated 99 by FM Scout and 90 current / 98 potential by FMInside, from the FM27 Launch Preview database as of Nov 1, 2026. FM Scout's next best is Arsenal's Max Dowman on 94.

Who is the best young goalkeeper in FM27? Rui Araki of Gamba Osaka, 18, rated 91 on FM Scout's provisional FM27 list, ahead of VfB Stuttgart's Dennis Seimen on 90. Araki also appears on FM Scout's bargain list.

Is there an FM27 wonderkids shortlist to download? Yes, FMInside offers its FM27 wonderkids as an .fmf shortlist to import in game. FM Scout does not share a shortlist download for its FM27 list.

Are the FM27 wonderkid lists final? No. They come from the Launch Preview database, and FM Scout and SI both warn the data may change before Football Manager 27's full release on Nov 10, 2026.

How old can a wonderkid be in FM27? It depends on the list: FM Scout counts players aged 20 or under on Jul 13, 2026 with Potential Ability 150 or more, while FMInside's filter goes up to age 21.

Who did SI recommend signing in FM27? SI's Antony Farley named Ajax's 17-year-old left winger Abdellah Ouazane, whom FM Scout rates 91 on its provisional FM27 list.

Sources

• Football Manager 2027 Wonderkids, FM Scout (Stam), Oct 29, 2026
• Football Manager 2027 Bargain Wonderkids & U21 Talents, FM Scout (Stam), Oct 31, 2026
• FM 27 Wonderkids, FMInside
• Abdellah Ouazane named as the Football Manager 27 wonderkid to sign this time around, FourFourTwo (Chris Nee), Oct 28, 2026
• Play Football Manager 27 Launch Preview for Free, Sports Interactive, Oct 21, 2026
• Maximising Your First Hours on FM27, Sports Interactive (Paul Madden), Oct 29, 2026
• Top Tips for Starting Your First FM27 Save, Sports Interactive, Oct 30, 2026
• FM27: Training & Tactical Effectiveness, Sports Interactive, Oct 9, 2026
• FM27: A Deeper, More Immersive Football World, Sports Interactive, Sep 25, 2026
• FM27: 2D Match Engine, In-Game Editor and Deeper World Upgrades, Sports Interactive, Oct 16, 2026
• Beginner’s Guide to FOOTBALL MANAGER 27 - Start Your FM27 Save the Right Way!, lollujo, Oct 31, 2026 (video)
• Training and Tactical Effectiveness | FM27 Feature Deep Dive, Football Manager, Oct 9, 2026 (video)
• What Is FM27 Really Like After 25 Hours Played?, WorkTheSpace, Oct 28, 2026 (video)