Who will play for Armenia at the 2029 U-20 World Cup? The top talents of the future national team
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
In 2029, Armenia and Georgia will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup. For Armenia, the tournament will be historic: not only will the country host a FIFA World Cup for the first time, but it will also receive a guaranteed place at a tournament of this level for the first time.
It is still difficult to imagine exactly what Armenia’s U-20 national team will look like three years from now. The results of Armenia’s youth national teams in recent years have not provided much reason for optimism, especially against the backdrop of neighboring Georgia’s progress. But a home World Cup is a completely different story. The Football Federation of Armenia has several years to prepare a generation that will represent the country in front of its own supporters in 2029.
Although the tournament is still around three years away, it is already possible to begin identifying the potential pool of candidates. If FIFA retains the current age regulations for the U-20 World Cup, players born between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013 will be eligible to take part in the 2029 World Cup.
The oldest members of this generation are already 16–17 years old. Many of them are at professional clubs, play for youth national teams, or are gradually approaching senior football.
Of course, new names are certain to emerge over the next three years. Some players will make rapid progress, some will not debut at a serious level until a year or two from now, and the Football Federation of Armenia will almost certainly continue searching for players of Armenian origin in foreign academies.
It is particularly difficult at this stage to make any predictions regarding players born in 2012–2013. They are only 13–14 years old, and it is entirely possible that the future leaders of the national team are among them — players we currently know nothing about.
But a significant part of the potential 2029 World Cup squad is already in front of us. First and foremost, these are players born between 2009 and 2011.
So let us take a brief look into the future and see which players of the appropriate age are already beginning to stand out, and who deserves particularly close attention over the next three years.
Armenia Does Not Actually Have a U-20 National Team Right Now
There is an important detail here. At the moment, Armenia effectively does not have a U-20 national team.
Until now, the Football Federation of Armenia simply had little reason to maintain a permanent team in this particular age category, as Armenia did not participate in competitions at U-20 level.
But that situation is expected to change as early as 2027.
The Football Federation of Armenia previously stated that it plans to form a U-20 national team for the Francophonie Games, which will be held in Yerevan. The program will include a football tournament, and Armenia intends to participate with a team of this age group.
Of course, this will not be the same team that plays at the World Cup two years later. Most of the players in the 2027 U-20 team will already be too old for the 2029 World Cup.
But the specific names are not necessarily the most important thing here.
The very process of forming a U-20 national team, having a coaching staff work with players of this age, organizing training camps, and preparing for an international tournament could give the FFA valuable experience ahead of 2029.
In a sense, the Francophonie Games could become the first rehearsal for working with a U-20 national team ahead of the home World Cup.
Is BKMA Already Preparing the 2009 Generation?
There is another detail that may indirectly suggest preparations for the 2029 World Cup.
This season, several players born in 2009 are playing for BKMA II in the Armenian First League. This is not entirely typical for the BKMA system: usually, somewhat older players are given significant roles there, but several 17-year-olds are currently already receiving substantial playing time.
Whether this is directly connected to preparations for the World Cup is something we obviously cannot claim. But it is certainly worth paying attention to.
And the first player we would highlight here is our favorite — Kirill Yedigaryan.
The central midfielder, born in 2009, has already been included in the senior BKMA squad for Armenian Premier League matches, while he began playing in the First League last season, when he was only 16. Yedigaryan made 13 appearances and scored one goal.
At the same time, Kirill does not play for Armenia U-17, but for the U-19 team — meaning he competes against players who are older than him.
This year, he featured in all three matches for Armenia U-19: against Kosovo (1–1), Turkey (1–1), and Gibraltar (9–0).
Yedigaryan is a very mobile and tenacious central midfielder. He reads the game well, constantly makes himself available for the ball, knows how to dictate the tempo of attacks, and at the same time puts in a considerable amount of defensive work.
Kirill particularly impressed us in the match against Turkey. If his development continues at its current pace, he looks like one of the most obvious candidates for the future 2029 team.
Another BKMA player worth following is Erik Vuvunikyan, born in 2010.
He joined the BKMA system from the Avan Academy only this summer, but has already managed to score two goals in his first two matches. He has also scored for Armenia U-16.
BKMA also have a goalkeeper born in 2009 — Arsen Mirabyan. This season, he has already been given an opportunity in the First League, playing one match and keeping a clean sheet. Mirabyan also has experience with Armenia U-17.
At the same time, competition for the goalkeeper position already looks fairly strong. Another Armenia U-17 goalkeeper, Samson Hakobyan, plays for Pyunik II in the First League. Hakobyan has actually been the more frequent starter in goal for the youth national team. As a result, it is difficult at this point to clearly identify a first-choice goalkeeper — it will be interesting to follow the development of both.
Another important player from this generation is also receiving playing time for BKMA II — Tigran Hovhannisyan, captain of Armenia U-17. The central defender, born in 2009, is gradually adapting to senior football, while his leadership role with the national team of his age group makes him a particularly interesting candidate in the context of 2029.
So within the BKMA system alone, there are already several players from the relevant generation who are gaining experience in senior football significantly earlier than most of their peers.
The Armenian Contingent in Spain
There is another intriguing storyline — an entire group of young Armenian footballers who have recently ended up in Spanish academies.
We honestly do not know whether there is some kind of unified program behind this, who helped facilitate these moves, or whether they have anything at all to do with the FFA’s plans for 2029.
But the coincidence is interesting: practically all of these players are regularly called up to Armenia’s youth national teams, and all of them are age-eligible for the U-20 World Cup.
Narek Hovhannisyan — born June 25, 2009. He is in Huesca’s academy and has played for Armenia U-17.
Sergey Arakelyan — born April 10, 2009. He represents the Rayo Majadahonda academy. The player himself grew up in the United States, but has represented Armenia’s youth national teams since 2023 and has already progressed through the U-15, U-16, and U-17 teams.
Armen Ghazaryan — born January 16, 2009. He is also in the Rayo Majadahonda system. Unlike Arakelyan, Ghazaryan moved to Spain directly from Armenia. He has played for Armenia U-17 and scored one goal for the team.
Rafael Minasyan — born September 11, 2009. He is continuing his development at the Unión Deportiva academy and has also played for Armenia U-17.
This group can also include Gor Vardanyan — born July 25, 2009. This year, he left the Urartu system and continued his career at the Spanish academy Intercity.
For now, it is objectively quite difficult to assess the level of these players. There is little information about their performances in Spain, and none of them has stood out so strongly in matches for Armenia’s youth national teams that we could already call him a future leader of the team.
But what matters more here is what happens next.
At the age of 16–17, several years of training and matches in a strong European football environment can transform a player considerably. For that reason, this group should currently be viewed not as ready-made candidates for the starting lineup, but rather as players whose progress is definitely worth following.
Could the Current U-17 Team Form the Core of the Future Squad?
Four foreign-based players in the squad: a CSKA player and three from Spain called up to Armenia U-17.
It is logical to assume that a significant part of the future Armenia U-20 national team will be formed from players in the current U-17 side.
The team recently played a tournament in Yerevan, where it collected four points: drawing 2–2 with Luxembourg, losing 1–3 to Hungary, and beating Liechtenstein 2–1.
It is particularly interesting to look at the players who are already beginning to stand out.
The group’s top scorer was Andranik Yervandyan, who scored three goals. And the Pyunik academy player is our second major favorite for the future after Yedigaryan.
Yervandyan is a player born in 2009 who has already begun to play regularly in the First League this season.
For Armenia U-17, he has five goals and one assist in four matches.
His long-range shooting and set-piece delivery stand out in particular. That said, we would still approach long-range shooting in youth football with a certain degree of caution. At this age, goalkeepers are often not yet fully developed physically, so something that works at U-17 level does not always translate just as effectively to senior football.
Armenia U-17 lost to Greece in a friendly but scored a wonder goal (VIDEO)
But Yervandyan certainly has quality in his shooting. And good technique as well.
He usually plays on the left wing, but can also operate behind the striker. Overall, he is one of the brightest attacking players of the current generation.
Another player who absolutely has to be mentioned is Arsen Arakelyan from the Urartu academy. He is a completely different type of player.
Arakelyan is a classic center-forward who is already 184 cm tall. He has made nine appearances for Armenia U-17 and scored four goals.
This season, Arsen is the first-choice striker for Urartu II in the First League and began the campaign with two goals in two matches.
At the moment, he perhaps looks like the most obvious candidate for the center-forward position in the future 2029 team. But, of course, a great deal can still change over the next three years.
Who Has Already Reached the Premier League?
As expected, there are still relatively few players born in 2009 in the Armenian top flight. But several have already managed to earn their first minutes at the highest level.
Striker Mher Harutyunyan — born July 22, 2009 — came on as a substitute in each of Shirak’s first four league matches at the start of the season.
Last season, he scored four goals in the First League, and he continues to play for the reserve team as well, where he has scored once in three matches. Mher is also regularly called up to Armenia U-17.
Another player is Syunik winger Suren Harutyunyan, born May 25, 2009.
He has so far played only one Premier League match, but the very fact that he made his debut at such an age already deserves attention. He has also made seven appearances for Armenia U-17.
Of course, a few minutes in senior competition do not guarantee anything. But for players of this age, simply stepping onto the pitch against adult opponents is already a positive sign.
What About the Foreign-Based Players?
Now we move on to one of the most intriguing categories — players based outside Armenia.
Here, we are deliberately focusing primarily on those who have already had some connection with Armenia’s national teams. There are surely other promising players with Armenian roots, but we do not want to decide on their behalf which national team they will represent.
One of the most notable options is Los Angeles Galaxy system central defender Collin Mullins, born in 2010.
Collin Mullins explained how he joined the Armenia national team.
He is already quite physically strong and is considered one of the notable players in his age group at the club. Mullins has represented Armenia’s national teams since 2024 and has already progressed through the U-15, U-16, and U-17 sides.
The story of Roman Avakian Gomez also deserves special attention.
He was also born in 2010 and grew up in the United States, but is now with German club Mainz. In 2025, Roman Avakian played for Armenia U-15 and scored one goal.
Later, however, he began playing for Mexico U-16 — his mother is Mexican.
As a result, at this point we cannot be at all certain that Romak will ultimately choose Armenia.
And it would be a shame to lose him, because he is genuinely a very interesting player.
For Armenia, he played on the right side of the attack and stood out for his technique and passing quality. At Mainz, however, he is now being used as a left-back. Such a positional transformation at such a young age at the very least demonstrates his versatility.
Armenia, for its part, began working with him quite early by calling him up to the youth national team, while the Armenian organization PAYFA helped the player with his move to Germany.
We will keep watching. The battle for the player appears to be far from over. The United States is also interested in him, as that is where he was born.
Roman Avakian made his Mexico U-16 debut at a tournament in France
Collin Mullins and Roman Avakian Gomez with the Armenia national team
Incidentally, Venezuela are also interested in Collin Mullins. His grandmother is from Venezuela, and representatives from that country have already attempted to contact him. The outcome is currently unknown.
Another foreign-based player is CSKA Moscow winger Vachik Tumanyan, born September 16, 2009.
In the current U-17 Youth Football League season, he has made 17 appearances for CSKA, scoring one goal and providing one assist. Tumanyan was first called up to Armenia U-17 in 2026 and subsequently played in all three qualifying matches.
There is another CSKA player worth noting — Daniil Dunamalyan, born September 2, 2009.
He attended a training camp with Armenia U-16 but has not yet played in official matches. Before that, Dunamalyan represented Russia at U-15 and U-16 level.
Statistically, he is one of the most impressive players on our entire list. Despite his age, Dunamalyan has already received playing time for CSKA U-19, while he mainly plays in the U-17 Youth Football League, where he has scored four goals and provided seven assists in 18 matches this season.
Alongside him, Moscow Lokomotiv left-back Viktor Barseghyan, born February 20, 2009, was also called up to Armenia U-16.
He also did not subsequently play in official matches, but that certainly does not mean his story with the Armenia national team is over.
This season, Barseghyan has made 18 appearances in the U-17 Youth Football League, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
Another player from the same training camp is Krasnodar striker Edgar Sahakyan, born July 17, 2009.
This season, he has three goals and one assist in 15 U-17 Youth Football League matches.
The full squad from that call-up can be viewed HERE. Every player on the list is also age-eligible for the 2029 World Cup.
Who Else Could Emerge?
In reality, this entire article is not an attempt to predict Armenia’s squad for the 2029 World Cup already.
It is simply a list of players worth following over the next three years, whose development will gradually give us an idea of what level of team Armenia might ultimately have.
And this list will almost certainly grow.
There is, for example, 15-year-old striker of Armenian origin Dani Gelici from Dutch club PSV.
There is prolific Albert Tamoyan from Swedish club Helsingborg.
Albert Tamoyan: “I was invited to play for Sweden, but decided to represent Armenia”
There is Ryan Bardghji from Danish club Nordsjælland — the brother of Roony Bardghji, who plays for Sweden U-16.
Another player worth following is Eduard Hakobyan, born in 2010, from Russian club Rostov. This season in the U-17 Youth Football League, he has scored 11 goals and provided five assists. For now, Hakobyan represents Russia U-16 and has had no connection with Armenia’s national teams.
And over the next three years, there will surely be more players emerging whom we simply know nothing about today.
For that reason, this list should certainly not be viewed as a prediction of the 2029 World Cup squad.
Rather, it is our first reference point.
There are still around three years to go before the home World Cup. By then, some of the players mentioned above will already be playing regular senior football, some will stop progressing, some will change position or club, and some will definitively choose another national team. And alongside them, completely new names will emerge.
But one thing can already be said today: the generation that is set to play at the first FIFA World Cup ever hosted in Armenia is gradually beginning to take shape.
And it will now be particularly interesting to see what it becomes by 2029.
If Armenia Had to Assemble Its 2029 World Cup Team Today
Of course, this is not a prediction of the squad for 2029. There are still three years until the tournament, many positions will change, and players born between 2011 and 2013 are still barely represented among the candidates currently known to us.
But as an experiment, let us imagine: what would this national team look like if the squad for the World Cup had to be assembled today?
Goalkeeper:
Samson Hakobyan / Arsen Mirabyan
Defense:
Viktor Barseghyan — Robert Hovakimyan — Tigran Hovhannisyan — Collin Mullins — Roman Avakian Gomez
Midfield:
Andranik Yervandyan — Kirill Yedigaryan — Daniil Dunamalyan — Vachik Tumanyan
Attack:
Arsen Arakelyan
This produces a kind of 5-4-1 formation, although the positions should certainly not be interpreted too literally. Rather, we simply tried to fit the most interesting players currently known to us into one lineup.