World Cup 2026 Golden Glove Odds & Best Goalkeeper Predictions

The Golden Glove is the leading individual award for goalkeepers, handed out at most major tournaments, including World Cups. FIFA has named the best goalkeeper at the World Cup since 1994, and until 2010 the award carried the name of the legendary Lev Yashin.

Who will be the best goalkeeper at the 2026 World Cup?

At the 2022 World Cup, the Golden Glove went to Argentina’s Emiliano Martínez, who kept three clean sheets and became the hero of the final. In this article, we look at who has the strongest chance of being named the best goalkeeper at the upcoming World Cup and what a goalkeeper needs to do to win it.

Best goalkeeper at the 2026 World Cup: betting odds

The top three favourites before the start of the World Cup are Emiliano Martínez, Unai Simón and Alisson Becker, and there are questions around every bookmaker-backed contender for the award. Emiliano won the Golden Glove in 2022 largely because Argentina won the tournament, while Unai Simón and Alisson can hardly be described as nailed on first choices for their national teams. David Raya, for example, had an outstanding season with Arsenal and could well push Simón out of the starting line-up.

2026 World Cup best goalkeeper odds

Martínez is clearly overrated by the bookmakers

The 33-year-old Martínez remains the undisputed number one for both Aston Villa and Argentina.

Statistically, there are no major concerns around the Argentine after last season:

• 14 clean sheets in the 2025/26 season for Aston Villa, including in the Europa League final;

• A 6.78 rating from WhoScored, the second-best figure in last season’s Premier League after Donnarumma;

Martínez also kept five clean sheets in 16 World Cup qualifying matches for Argentina, who conceded only 10 goals, the second-best defensive record in South American qualifying after Ecuador.

Martínez stats in the 2025/26 season

But there are several caveats. Firstly, Emiliano is a momentum-based goalkeeper. Yes, he can almost win a match on his own, as he did in the 2022 World Cup final, but consistency is not his strongest suit.

Secondly, Argentina are unlikely to repeat what they did in 2022. The national team have issues with generational change, while Leo Messi, around whom Argentina’s play was built at recent major tournaments, is not getting any younger. The bookmakers, for example, do not even expect Argentina to reach the semi-finals.

No goalkeeper in history has ever won the Golden Glove twice. Can Martínez become the first? Given Argentina’s chances of winning the trophy and the individual form of his rivals, such as Raya, that looks unlikely.

Simón or Raya: who will be Spain’s number one?

There are two Spanish goalkeepers among the six favourites for the Golden Glove, and it is entirely possible that the outcome of the award will depend on who becomes Spain’s first choice at the 2026 World Cup.

At first glance, the situation looks clear. Unai Simón has been Spain’s undisputed number one in recent years. He played in the Nations League final after missing the main stage through injury, featured throughout World Cup qualifying, and is also the team captain.

At Euro 2024, Unai played the entire tournament in goal, apart from the third group stage match, by which point Spain had already secured top spot.

That said, Simón’s Athletic Club had a dreadful season, finishing only 13th in La Liga. Unai conceded 54 goals in 37 matches and kept only six clean sheets. But Athletic Club fans should not have too many questions for the goalkeeper. Even Simón could not fix a defence that blunt.

Simón and Raya stats in the 2025/26 season

Raya’s Arsenal, meanwhile, won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final. Even so, David only played regularly for the national team while Simón was injured.

Given that Spain are the main favourites to win the 2026 World Cup at 9/2 De la Fuente’s choice could prove decisive in the battle for the Golden Glove.

Alisson, Ederson and a Brazil side in crisis

Brazil have a similarly uncertain situation in goal. The bookmakers rate Alisson as one of the three favourites for the Golden Glove, which means they expect him to be the national team’s number one.

But there is one huge problem: Alisson’s fitness. He has not played in friendlies for Brazil since autumn 2025 because of a hamstring injury, and he missed four World Cup qualifying matches in 2024 with the same type of issue.

Since March 2026, the Brazilian has played only four matches for Liverpool, so his fitness and form before the start of the World Cup are open to question. So is his status as the national team’s first choice.

Alisson and Ederson stats in the 2025/26 season

Ederson is not a straightforward candidate either. The Fenerbahçe goalkeeper played only two friendlies for Brazil between autumn and spring, while throughout 2025 he either had fitness problems or simply failed to make the squad.

The truth is that, aside from Ederson and Alisson, Brazil do not have alternatives in goal. Ancelotti is hardly going to start the 38-year-old Weverton Pereira da Silva as his number one.

Whoever starts in goal for Brazil, though, is unlikely to have much of a chance of challenging for the Golden Glove. Firstly, Ancelotti is taking a fairly questionable group to the World Cup: a problematic Neymar, four midfielders and a plainly weak defensive line.

Secondly, Brazil struggled badly in qualifying, finishing fifth and conceding 17 goals in 18 matches. Given the form of Europe’s leading sides, such as France and Spain, it is hard to see the Seleção even reaching the final.

Have the bookmakers forgotten about Pickford?

It is fairly strange to include the permanently injured Alisson and Ederson, who is seeing out his career in Turkey, among the top five favourites for the Golden Glove, while ignoring Jordan Pickford.

Yes, the Englishman is not exactly pulling up trees at club level, but why is 13th place in the Premier League worse than Simón’s 13th place in La Liga? Or Ederson’s second place in a Turkish league that is far from elite?

Pickford stats in the 2025/26 season

There are several factors in Pickford’s favour. Firstly, he has been strong between the posts for Everton. The Liverpool club conceded only 50 goals across the season, the sixth-best figure in the league.

Secondly, he is England’s undisputed number one. England won all eight World Cup qualifying matches without conceding and are rated as the third favourites to win the tournament.

FIFA’s logic: what does it take to win the Golden Glove?

The criteria for awarding the Golden Glove, like most individual FIFA awards, are difficult to call clear cut. A special group of experts determines the best goalkeeper at the end of the tournament, based on his performances between the posts.

What patterns can be identified?

• Since 1998, the Golden Glove has gone to a goalkeeper whose national team reached at least the semi-finals. The only exception in the award’s history was Michel Preud’homme in 1994, when Belgium were knocked out in the round of 16;

• Since 1998, every Golden Glove winner has won his group at the World Cup;

• A goalkeeper needs to keep at least two clean sheets during the tournament. Interestingly, from 1998 to 2014, every World Cup Golden Glove winner kept exactly five clean sheets at the tournament.

All Golden Glove winners at the FIFA World Cup

The Golden Glove has been awarded since 1994 and, until 2010, carried the name of the legendary Lev Yashin. Across the last eight World Cups, only once has the award gone to a goalkeeper from outside Europe: Emiliano Martínez in 2022.

All Golden Glove winners at the World Cup

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