Chris WrightJun 11, 2026, 04:00 AM ET
While it goes without saying that the iconic FIFA World Cup trophy is the one that all players competing at this summer's finals are hoping to be victoriously lifting above their heads come the end of the tournament, there will also be several individual awards up for grabs.
Ever since the 1982 tournament in Spain, World Cup players have competed individually for the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot awards, which have been awarded to both the best player and top goal-scorer at any given tournament.
The Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper was then followed in 1994, though it was initially known as the Lev Yashin Award until being renamed in 2010.
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On the eve of the 2026 World Cup, Adidas has unveiled the new, updated designs for the three main individual player awards, with the Golden Ball, Golden Boot and the Golden Glove trophies all getting new looks for the 2026 tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The 2026 Golden Ball award is modeled on the Adidas Trionda match ball that will be used throughout the World Cup. Lionel Messi is the reigning World Cup Golden Ball winner, having been bestowed the award at Qatar 2022 after captaining Argentina to their historic triumph in Lusail.
Of course, there is every chance that Messi could defend his title in 2026, but the Albiceleste's 38-year-old talisman will be facing stiff competition from the likes of France's Kylian Mbappé (who finished runner-up in 2022) as well as several other potential World Cup superstars-in-waiting.
Injury may curtail his start to the 2026 tournament, but Spain's Lamine Yamal still has all the talent to stake his claim while England's Harry Kane, reigning Ballon d'Or Ousmane Dembélé and his France teammate Michael Olise,, plus Portugal duo Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes are all carrying seriously good club form into the tournament.
Though he ended the 2022 World Cup as a losing finalist, Mbappé actually pipped Messi to the Golden Boot by a single goal after notching a hat trick against Argentina in the final.
In recent years, the Golden Boot has been won by Kane (2018), James Rodríguez (2014) and Thomas Müller (2010), while Ronaldo Nazário (2002) and record men's World Cup goal-scorer Miroslav Klose (2006) have also claimed the award since its name was changed from the Golden Shoe to the Golden Boot.
After scoring 61 goals in just 51 games for Bayern Munich last season, Kane is obviously in with a great chance of repeating his success in 2018, though he'll have to fend off a gaggle of fellow hotshots in the form of Mbappé, Olise, Dembélé, Norway's Erling Haaland, Brazil's Vinícius Júnior and Yamal.
You can never fully discount seasoned campaigners like Messi or perhaps even Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, but the fact remains that only one player aged 30 or over has ever won the World Cup Golden Boot; Davor Suker of Croatia, who scored six times at the 1998 World Cup at the age of 30.
The Golden Glove is awarded to the goalkeeper who managed to distinguish themselves the most during a World Cup, with the inaugural winner being Iker Casillas of Spain after he kept five clean sheets on the way to winning the World Cup with his country in 2010.
The 2022 award went to Emiliano Martínez, who played a pivotal role in Argentina's run to glory with three clean sheets, several vital shootout saves, and a famous one-on-one thwarting of France forward Randal Kolo Muani in the last minute of extra time, which sent the final to penalties.
Martinez could well retain his title should he manage similar heroics in 2026, but there are plenty of equally talented and influential stoppers taking part and a string of impressive performances: Spain's David Raya, England's Jordan Pickford, Brazil's Alisson, Spain's Unai Simón or Portugal's Diogo Costa could see him deposed.
There's also the matter of the reemergence of the 2014 Golden Glove winner to contend with, after Germany made the surprise decision to recall a 40-year-old Manuel Neuer into their World Cup squad for one last campaign.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49024760/2026-world-cup-awards-golden-ball-golden-boot-golden-glove-trophies-revealed