Which players are favourites to be FIFA World Cup 2026 award winners?
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x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Lionel Messi is in line to win two awards at the FIFA World Cup 2026 [Roberto Schmidt/AFP] By Anushe Engineer Published On 17 Jul 2026 17 Jul 2026 As the FIFA World Cup draws to a close, two nations are vying to lift the famous golden champions’ trophy, but several other player and team awards are also up for grabs.
Individual brilliance, iconic moments, and team discipline on the field are the key factors deciding the end-of-tournament honours handed out by FIFA at the end of the final.
The teams advancing the furthest and their players are leading contenders for the awards, but some are chosen before the final gets under way.
Football giants Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are among the biggest stars expected to walk away with at least one of the awards, which include:
FIFA’s Golden Boot is awarded to the player with the most goals at the end of the tournament.
France’s Mbappe is the current holder after scoring eight goals in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup.
If two players are tied on the same number of goals at the end of the tournament, then the player with the most assists will win the award.
If those tiebreakers cannot split two players, then the Golden Boot is handed to the player who achieved their goals and assists in the least number of minutes.
Messi and Mbappe are head-to-head in the race for the coveted award as both captains have eight goals and three assists apiece at the tournament so far.
The Golden Ball celebrates outstanding individual performance and is given to the best player of the tournament. A shortlist of candidates is decided by FIFA’s technical study group and voted on by accredited media covering the tournament. Runners-up in the vote are awarded the Silver Ball and Bronze Ball, respectively.
First introduced in 1978, the award has often been given to players whose teams have not won the tournament, including Zinedine Zidane (2006), Messi (2014, 2022), and Luka Modric (2018), since voting concludes before the final begins. Oliver Kahn remains the only goalkeeper to have won the award, in 2002.
Messi is the only player to have bagged the award twice.
The 39-year-old leads the list of this year’s contenders, alongside Mbappe and his compatriot Michael Olise.
The other contenders include England’s captain Kane and star player Bellingham, Norwegian star Erling Haaland, and Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.
This award is given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament, based on impact, saves, and the number of clean sheets.
It was introduced in 1994 and known until 2010 as the Lev Yashin award. Four of the past five winners have come from the eventual champions.
This year’s tournament has seen goalkeepers soak up the spotlight for their brilliant saves, most notably Cape Verde’s Vozinha, who shot to overnight fame on social media and is reportedly being considered by Inter Miami.
Other standout performances have come from Orlando Gill (Uruguay), Diogo Costa (Portugal), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland), Yassine Bounou (Morocco), and Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt).
First introduced in 2006, this award “celebrates the standout young player whose performances, skill, and impact leave a lasting mark”, for a player younger than 21 years of age, according to FIFA.
“More than a recognition of achievement, the award highlights the talent, ambition, and potential that continue to drive football forward,” the global governing body says.
The 2022 award went to Enzo Fernandez, who was part of Argentina’s title-winning squad.
Spanish duo Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi top the list this year, as they head to the final as part of the European champions’ squad.
Other contenders include Mexico’s Gilberto Mora, who was the youngest player at the tournament, the youngest player to represent Mexico at the tournament, and the youngest to start since Pele in 1958, when he was named in the starting XI against Ecuador in the round of 16.
France’s Desire Doue, who has been key to his side’s wins, is also in the running, alongside fellow semifinalist Nico O’Reilly of England.
Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi also turned heads at this World Cup, although the prodigious talent already made his mark in the French youth ranks. He recently became the youngest player to record 50 appearances in France’s top tier of club football – Ligue 1.
The Fair Play award is presented to a team with exemplary fair play behaviour at the World Cup. It was introduced in 1970, and only teams that advance past the initial group stage and reach the round of 32 (or the round of 16 in historical formats) are considered.
Brazil have won it a record four times, followed by England and Spain, three times each.
The Qatar World Cup 2022 saw England walk away with the award.
The 2026 edition could see another European team win it as Spain, France, and Norway are in the running.
While the overall Goal of the Tournament award is selected from the quarterfinals and semifinals, each preceding round has its own winner, decided at the end of the respective stage. The fate of this award is in the hands of the general public once they watch selected moments from each round and cast their vote.
The 2022 winner was Brazil’s…
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