World Cup 2026 Player Of The Tournament Odds
The 2026 World Cup will dominate the summer of sport in the USA, Canada & Mexico. With so much footballing action to look forward to, the race to be crowned the Player Of The Tournament will require so much more given the extra round in 2026, and we look at the latest betting for the Golden Ball award below, analysing some of the key players in contention to win it.
2026 World Cup Player Of The Tournament Odds
Here are the latest odds for the Player Of The Tournament award at the 2026 World Cup.
| Player | Best Odds |
| Harry Kane | 8/1 |
| Lamine Yamal | 17/2 |
| Kylian Mbappe | 10/1 |
| Michael Olise | 10/1 |
Who Are The Betting Favourites For The World Cup 2026 Player Of The Tournament?
Almost all of the biggest name players in world football will congregate in North America for the 2026 World Cup. We take a look at a selection of them below who will be at the forefront of the betting for the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball.
- Lionel Messi – Lionel Messi is the only man to have won the Golden Ball on two occasions, claiming the award in 2014, and when he led his Argentina side to glory in Qatar in 2022. He remains a nearly incomparable footballer.
- Cristiano Ronaldo – Cristiano Ronaldo will be 41 years old at the 2026 World Cup, but the evergreen frontman will be keen for his performances to spearhead a second major international trophy after he won Euro 2016 with Portugal a decade ago.
- Harry Kane – England’s greatest ever goalscorer, Harry Kane won the Golden Boot in Russia in 2018 and is the focal point for the Three Lions’ hopes of ending their 60 years of hurt.
- Jude Bellingham – Supporting Kane will be Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, who regularly revived England during Euro 2024. The heartbeat of England’s creativity, he will need to be at his best for England to stand a chance.
- Christian Pulisic – The USA will be hoping to at least emulate their quarter final appearance at the 2002 World Cup in 2026, with Christian Pulisic their outstanding player seeking to shine on home soil.
- Kylian Mbappe – Kylian Mbappe became only the second men’s player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final in 2022, though the Real Madrid frontman will be keen to avenge that defeat and sparkle once again in North America.
- Neymar – Neymar may no longer play in Europe, but the 34-year-old has been talismanic at times for Santos, and his Brazil national teammates require all of his skills if they are to dazzle to glory this summer.
- Lamine Yamal – Though he will not turn 19 until a week before the 2026 World Cup final, Lamine Yamal is the hottest property in world football, breaking out at Euro 2024 and maintaining a sensational standard at Barcelona.
Former Winners Of The World Cup Golden Ball
Below are the last ten winners of the World Cup Golden Ball award for the best player at the tournament. It was introduced at the 1982 World Cup, with Lionel Messi the only man to have won it twice.
| Year | Player | Nation |
| 2022 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Croatia |
| 2014 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
| 2010 | Diego Forlan | Uruguay |
| 2006 | Zinedine Zidane | France |
| 2002 | Oliver Kahn | Germany |
| 1998 | Ronaldo | Brazil |
| 1994 | Romario | Brazil |
| 1990 | Salvatore Schillaci | Italy |
| 1986 | Diego Maradona | Argentina |
FAQs
The FIFA technical committee draws up a shortlist of potential options, which are then voted on by members of the football media.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe will all be among the favourites for the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball, with Argentina, Portugal and France all expected to go far at the tournament.
In 2002, Oliver Kahn won Player of the Tournament at the World cup as his Germany side reached the final in South Korea & Japan, losing to Brazil.
Argentina has produced the most World Cup Golden Ball winners with three, as Lionel Messi has won the award twice, while Diego Maradona won it in 1986. Italy and Brazil are the other nations with multiple winners of the prize.