The 2026 FIFA World Cup will conclude on July 19 with the trophy presentation at MetLife Stadium — but the individual awards that accompany it are equally anticipated. The Golden Ball for best player, the Golden Boot for top scorer, the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper, and the Best Young Player award together tell the story of the tournament's most outstanding individual performances. Here are our complete predictions.

Golden Ball (Best Player): Lamine Yamal

Our Golden Ball prediction is Lamine Yamal of Spain. Playing for the tournament favourites in what is expected to be a deep run to the final, Yamal will have the stage, the team support, and the individual quality to produce the most consistently brilliant individual tournament in 2026. His combination of direct dribbling, creative passing, and ability to score and create crucial goals in high-pressure matches gives him the profile that World Cup Golden Ball winners have historically needed. If Spain win the tournament, Yamal's performances will be the defining individual narrative.

Golden Boot (Top Scorer): Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé is the clear Golden Boot favourite — and our prediction. He scored eight goals in 2022 to win the award, and with France expected to go deep in the tournament again, he will have six or seven matches in which to accumulate goals. As France's primary striker and penalty taker, his goal opportunities per match exceed any other player in the field. Our predicted tally: 9 goals, including two penalties and a hat-trick in the semi-final. Closest challenger: Harry Kane, if England reach the final.

Golden Glove (Best Goalkeeper): Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois is our Golden Glove prediction — and perhaps our most confident individual award call. Belgium's tournament run in 2026 may not go beyond the quarter-finals, but Courtois's performance in the matches they do play will be exceptional. His ability to make the crucial save at the critical moment — demonstrated most memorably in the 2022 Champions League final where he single-handedly delivered the trophy for Real Madrid — sets him apart from every other goalkeeper in the field.

Best Young Player: Lamine Yamal

If Yamal wins the Golden Ball — as we predict — he would also claim the Best Young Player award, which is open to players born on or after January 1, 2003. Yamal was born on July 13, 2007 — meaning he technically turns 19 on the day of the World Cup final itself, having spent the entire tournament as an 18-year-old. That biographical detail alone gives his 2026 story a narrative perfection that football rarely delivers in real life.

FIFA Fair Play Award

The FIFA Fair Play Award goes to the team with the best disciplinary record among those progressing furthest in the tournament. Our prediction: Japan — a nation whose football culture emphasises collective discipline, respect for opponents, and clean, aggressive-but-fair defending. Japan's 2022 tournament was notable not just for their results but for the behaviour of their fans, who famously cleaned the stadium after every match. In 2026, the Samurai Blue's conduct on and off the pitch is expected to reflect the same values that have made Japanese football one of the sport's most admired cultures.