Armenian national team: one of the youngest squads in the European qualification for the 2026 World Cup

The average age of the Armenian national team for the November 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Hungary (November 13) and Portugal (November 16) is 25.6 years. This makes Armenia one of the youngest squads in the current qualification cycle.

Experienced players are in the minority. There are only four players older than 30 in the squad:

• Ognen Čančarević — 36
• Kamo Hovhannisyan — 33
• Karen Muradyan — 33
• Arsen Beglaryan — 32

Another three players are in the 26–30 age range:

• Henri Avagyan — 29
• Edgar Grigoryan — 27
• Nair Tiknizyan — 26

All the others are under 25. The youngest players are:

• Artem Bandikyan (20)
• Georgi Harutyunyan (21)
• Sergey Muradyan (21)
• Arayik Eloyan (21)

A comparison with other Group F teams highlights Armenia’s youth:

• Hungary — 27.3
• Portugal — 27.3
• Ireland — 26.7

Across the entire European qualification, Armenia ranks 4th by lowest average age:

1. San Marino — 24.0
2. Gibraltar — 24.9
3. Northern Ireland — 25.1
4. Armenia — 25.6
5. Bulgaria — 25.6
6. Estonia — 25.7
7. Georgia — 25.8

The oldest squads:

1. Scotland — 28.9
2. Lithuania — 28.2
3. Slovakia — 28.1
4. Croatia — 28.0

Armenia continues its squad renewal strategy. The team increasingly relies on players whose best years are still ahead of them. For the upcoming matches, youth national team members Artem Bandikyan and Araik Eloyan were called up, as well as Gevorg Tarakhchyan, who had rarely been called before. Meanwhile, the more experienced Lucas Zelarayán is ending his international career.

The games against Hungary and Portugal will be an important test: whether this young team can withstand the pressure of more experienced opponents will soon become clear.