The 2026 World Cup individual awards: Spain sweep the board with Rodri, Unai Simón and Cubarsí
Spain's dominance at the 2026 World Cup extended to the individual awards too. Rodri won the Golden Ball as best player, Unai Simón the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper and Pau Cubarsí the best young player award. The only prize that got away was the Golden Boot, claimed by Kylian Mbappé (10 goals). We review all the tournament's award winners.
Spain did not only take the 2026 World Cup title: they also swept the individual awards. Luis de la Fuente's side placed three of their players at the top of the distinctions that closed the tournament, a reflection of how collective and solid the champions were.
The Golden Ball for the tournament's best player went to Rodri. The midfielder, the beacon of the middle of the park and the engine of Spanish possession, stood out as the brain of a team that made control of the ball its greatest weapon. An award that crowns his return to the top after a serious injury and confirms him as one of the best holding midfielders in the world.
The Golden Glove for best goalkeeper went to Unai Simón, another key piece of the title. The Athletic Club keeper conceded a single goal in the whole tournament —Belgium's in the quarters— and kept a clean sheet in seven of the eight games, a wall on which Spain built their second star. And the best young player award went to Pau Cubarsí, the Barcelona centre-back who, at just 19, settled into the champions' defence unfazed by any occasion.
The only major award that did not go to Spain was claimed by Kylian Mbappé: the Golden Boot as top scorer, with ten goals, two more than Lionel Messi. With these prizes, the 2026 World Cup puts faces to its best performers. You can check all the tournament's stats and rankings on our data pages.