The team that wins the World Cup gets all the glory, and rightfully so, since the journey to the trophy is long and difficult. This year, with more participants than ever, this journey will be particularly tiring.
Runner-ups also get a spot in history, but so do the best players who demonstrate their best football during the tournament. So, who are the favourites for the individual accolades? What are the World Cup 2026 Golden Ball winner odds, and what are the Golden Boot winner odds?
World Cup 2026 Golden Ball Odds: Who Are the Favourites?
Not many bookmakers provide the odds for the Golden Ball winner just yet, even though the World Cup is very near. This year’s tournament will be full of the biggest stars of the game, but every previous one was also like that.
The question is, who is going to shine the brightest this time around? Who is the favourite to win the Golden Ball according to the bookmakers? Let’s have a look at what the odds say.
Harry Kane is one of the favourites to win the Golden Ball for the best player at the 2026 World Cup, with the odds ranging from 8.00 to 9.00.
Odds vary on Michael Olise to claim the trophy, from 7.00 at BetVictor to 11.00 at other operators, making him one of the favourites, alongside the British veteran. Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal are both priced between 9.00 and 11.00.
We must not forget Lionel Messi here, as he is also among the favourites to win the Golden Ball, with the odds on him winning between 11.00 and 13.00.
Golden Boot Winner Odds and Favourites
Golden Boot is a bit of a different story and a more popular market that bettors wager on, predicting which player will score the most goals. When we look at the club season that’s almost past us, the odds for top goalscorers make a lot of sense.
As the top scorer in the Bundesliga and the second-best scorer in the Champions League, Harry Kane is again among the top favourites, along with the UCL top scorer, Kylian Mbappe.
The Frenchman also tends to put on his best game for major tournaments, so the odds of 7.00 for him to be the top scorer, compared to 8.00 on Harry Kane, are not so distant, and still give Mbappe a slight advantage.
We must not again forget Lionel Messi since the bookmakers price him at 13.00 to win the Golden Boot again, while Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal are both priced at 15.00.
Apart from Lionel Messi being Argentina’s go-to man for all penalty kicks, the other reason for this is that Messi hasn’t lost any firepower in the MLS, and could continue like that at the World Cup. Also, Argentina is predicted to go far in this year’s tournament.
Yamal’s season is not so efficient when it comes to goals, but Spain is expected to go all the way, potentially giving him more opportunities to score than Haaland and Norway.
If you wish to claim some outright odds, now may be the right time, as there are only three weeks left before the World Cup begins.
