It’s well-known that the legendary FIFA World Cup trophy is the ultimate goal for all players participating in this summer’s finals. However, individual accolades will also be fiercely contested.
Since the 1982 tournament held in Spain, players have vied for personal recognition through the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards, acknowledging the best player and top goal-scorer of each tournament.
In 1994, the Golden Glove award was introduced for the best goalkeeper, originally named the Lev Yashin Award before it was rebranded in 2010.
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As the 2026 World Cup approaches, Adidas has revealed revamped designs for the three prestigious individual player awards: the Golden Ball, Golden Boot, and Golden Glove, all featuring new aesthetics for the tournament set to be hosted in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The Golden Ball
The 2026 Golden Ball is inspired by the Adidas Trionda match ball that will be used throughout the World Cup. Currently, Lionel Messi holds the Golden Ball title after winning it in Qatar 2022, where he led Argentina to their historic victory in Lusail.
While Messi could potentially defend his title in 2026, he will face tough competition from players like France‘s Kylian Mbappé, the runner-up in 2022, along with numerous other rising stars eager to make their mark.
Though an injury may affect his start to the tournament, Spain‘s Lamine Yamal possesses immense talent, while England‘s Harry Kane, the current Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, and France’s Michael Olise are all entering the tournament with impressive form, alongside Portugal’s Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes.
The Golden Boot
Although he was a losing finalist in the 2022 World Cup, Mbappé claimed the Golden Boot by scoring one more goal than Messi after netting a hat-trick against Argentina in the final.
Recent winners of the Golden Boot include Kane (2018), James Rodríguez (2014), and Thomas Müller (2010). Notable former winners include Ronaldo Nazário (2002) and Miroslav Klose (2006), both of whom have made their mark since the award’s renaming from the Golden Shoe to the Golden Boot.
With an impressive tally of 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern Munich last season, Kane remains a strong contender to repeat his success from 2018. Yet, he will contend with sharp competition from Mbappé, Olise, Dembélé, Norway’s Erling Haaland, Brazil‘s Vinícius Júnior, and Yamal.
While established legends like Messi and perhaps even Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be ruled out, history shows that only one player over 30 has ever secured the World Cup Golden Boot: Davor Šuker of Croatia, who scored six goals in the 1998 World Cup at the age of 30.
The Golden Glove
The Golden Glove is awarded to the goalkeeper who excels during the World Cup, with the first recipient being Spain’s Iker Casillas, who achieved five clean sheets on the way to his team’s 2010 World Cup victory.
The award for 2022 was given to Emiliano Martínez, who played a critical role in Argentina’s triumph by keeping three clean sheets and making crucial saves during shootouts, including a key denial of France’s Randal Kolo Muani in the dying moments of the final.
Should Martínez replicate such performances in 2026, he may well defend his title, but he will face stiff competition from standout goalkeepers. The likes of Spain’s David Raya, England’s Jordan Pickford, Brazil’s Alisson, Spain’s Unai Simón, and Portugal’s Diogo Costa are all capable of taking the award.
Additionally, the return of the 2014 Golden Glove winner looms large in the competition, as Germany has surprisingly included a 40-year-old Manuel Neuer in their World Cup squad for one final attempt.