South Korea’s Casey Phair Becomes the Youngest Ever World Cup Player at 16 Years and 26 Days of Age

South Korea's Casey Phair controls the ball during the Women's World Cup Group H soccer match between Colombia and South Korea at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney on July 25, 2023. Rick Rycroft/AP Photo

SYDNEY—Throughout South Korea’s Women’s World Cup opener against Colombia on Tuesday, players stayed loose behind the goal. Early in the 78th minute, one player broke away from the group. Casey Phair, at 16 years and 26 days, stepped onto the field and became the youngest player to do so in a World Cup—women’s or men’s.

“Going on, I was really, really nervous,” said Phair, who has an American father and a South Korean mother and was raised in the United States. “It was a scary moment, but then going on and running around, I think it just settled in.”