World Cup 2026 Golden Ball: Who will be the player of the tournament?

Updated: 8 Jun 2026 10:55 BST | 9 min read

World Cup, Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise, Vinicius Jr — © IMAGO

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

The World Cup is the biggest stage of all and there will be more matches than ever in the 2026 edition as 48 nations descend upon North America for just over one month of intense action.

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Breakout stars burst onto the scene at every major international event, but world-renowned players are usually the recipients of the biggest awards at the end of the tournament and this summer’s World Cup is likely to be no different.

Below, the FootballTransfers editorial staff predict who they believe will win the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball.

Robin Bairner: Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)

Coming off the back of a history-making season with Manchester United, Bruno has all the ingredients to be a Golden Ball winner at the 2026 World Cup - so long as he can step out of the shadow of aging great Cristiano Ronaldo.

Firstly, this Portugal team is set up to go deep in the competition. The squad they possess is arguably the strongest that will travel to North America.

On a related point, Bruno will be supported by Vitinha and Joao Neves in the midfield - two players who could each rival him for the gong.

So why Bruno? Well, we’ve already seen his devastating impact from set pieces in the Premier League this season, and with Austin MacPhee on Portugal’s coaching staff, the Selecao have one of the best minds in the business when it comes to manufacturing goals from these situations.

Expect the 31-year-old to chalk up another huge assist count just as he did in the Premier League.

Cameron Smith: Pedri (Spain)

Spain head into the 2026 World Cup as one of the clear favourites for victory as they look to secure another major tournament trophy following their triumph over England at Euro 2024.

Their squad is littered with world-class talent, and wing duo Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are expected to play a pivotal role en route to potential glory, just as they did two years ago. However, Spain’s most important player could well be Barcelona maestro Pedri, who is arguably the best midfielder on the planet.

The 23-year-old is silky smooth in possession and he enjoyed a sublime 2025-26 season under Hansi Flick as Barcelona retained their La Liga crown with ease. Pedri isn’t known for his goal contributions, but Luka Modric proved that central midfielders can win this award in 2018, and the Barca star could follow suit this summer.

Pedri will be an instrumental player for Spain at the tournament and if they go all the way, as many expect them to, he will undoubtedly be a key reason why.

Ronan Murphy: Michael Olise (France)

We saw it and then we didn't. The greatness of Michael Olise and then the disappearance. The first leg between PSG and Bayern Munich was arguably one of the best Champions League games of all time, with Olise inspiring Bayern to keep the tie close and give the Munich men a chance of qualifying for the final.

Everybody was hailing Olise as a genius and tipping him for the Ballon d'Or. Maybe he even started to believe his own hype. He tried to do too much in the second leg. He failed. He was frustrated. But maybe it's the adversity he needed to become a better player.

He doesn't even speak French all that well, but he will be the reason they get to the final again, and maybe those Champions League semi-final second leg memories will push him that extra mile. The final will be in New Jersey. They don't use the metric system there.

But one thing won't need measuring. How good Michael Olise is as the best player of the World Cup, someone who has magic in his feet and can inspire Les Bleus to another World Cup title and add a third star to their crest.

Martin Macdonald: Lamine Yamal (Spain)

Spain are one of the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup and make it two summer tournament wins on the trot after their victory at the 2024 European Championships. Lamine Yamal was crucial to that Euros win, becoming the youngest player ever to feature, the youngest goalscorer and gaining numerous other records.

He turned 17 during that tournament and is two years more mature, now, coming off a La Liga-winning season with Barcelona in which he scored 24 goals and recorded 18 assists in 45 appearances for the Blaugrana.

Yes, he suffered from injury issues throughout the campaign and a hamstring injury may keep him out of Spain's opener against Cape Verde on 15 June, but he will be reinstated into the starting XI as soon as he is fit and firing as, even at his tender age, he is already La Roja's talisman.

The stage is set for this young man to write his name in the history books and he has a feel for the big occasions, too. Just look at that incredible goal he scored in the Euros semi-final against France, which won the Goal of the Tournament.

If he can stay fit, he'll light up North America.

Tom Weber: Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain)

This is not a flashy pick for the World Cup Golden Ball; it’s a pragmatic one. Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal is finally set for his breakout tournament in a Spain kit, aged 29.

A criminally underrated player - at least outside of San Sebastian, where he is revered as a god - Oyarzabal has the trust of Luis de la Fuente, who has come to love the Basque forward. The Erreala star was the coach’s go-to striker in qualifying, bagging six goals in as many outings while also producing four assists.

Coming off a shock Copa del Rey triumph and a 15-goal LaLiga campaign, Oyarzabal is poised to play a major role for La Roja - and he will have to. With Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams struggling for fitness, he needs to step up and continue his prolific form for the reigning European champions.

Oyarzabal is not the biggest name, nor is he the most talented star at the tournament, but he is the ultimate big-game player: he has scored in every major final he has competed in. If he keeps up this streak, he will be hard to overlook for the Golden Ball.

Suraj Radia: Kylian Mbappe (France)

Kylian Mbappe is set to play in his third World Cup, having lifted the trophy in his first appearance before scoring a hat-trick in the final of the 2022 edition to win the Golden Boot. The only thing missing on his World Cup bingo card is the Golden Ball. Enter 2026…

France are, unsurprisingly, among the favourites to win the tournament in North America and Mbappe will certainly have a big part to play if he is to reach his third successive World Cup final.

Although the likes of Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele may prove to be just as crucial for France this summer, Mbappe is still the focal point for Les Bleus and still the best player on the best team in the tournament. As boring and unpredictable as it may be, it would be foolish to bet against Mbappe being the star of the show once again.

Not to mention, FIFA has proven so far that, above all, their brand is more important than football. So who else would they give such a prestigious award to? William Saliba? Come on now.

Matthew Judge: Vinicius Jr (Brazil)

With just eight goals and seven assists in 47 caps, Vinicius Jr is yet to truly sparkle for Brazil.

However, now that he has reunited with Carlo Ancelotti - the manager who turned him into a world-class forward at Real Madrid - the stars may have finally aligned for the 25-year-old and the five-time World Cup winners.

Expected to start up front in an exciting 4-2-4, Brazil are banking on Vinicius to be their main man in decisive moments - a pressure which he has proven he can cope with at Real, especially under Ancelotti’s guidance.

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