2026 World Cup Player of the Tournament odds: Who will win the Golden Ball?

With France and Spain tipped as the favourites for glory in North America, it is perhaps no surprise to see their leading stars Mbappe and Yamal earmarked as the frontrunners in the Golden Ball race with both poised for deep runs in the competition. They are priced at 13/2 each for the prestigious award.

Barcelona sensation Yamal makes his World Cup bow this summer, having already lighted up Euro 2024 as Spain were crowned champions. Having continued his rise to becoming one of football's best attackers in the two years since since, it is easy to forget he is still only 18, with his 19th birthday coming just two days before the World Cup final.

Mbappe, who is also the favourite for the Golden Boot, is preparing for his third World Cup already after helping France go all the way in 2018 before falling short in the 2022 final, albeit he end the tournament with the Golden Boot after a hat-trick in the final.

While he has endured a tough end to the season with Real Madrid, the 27-year-old remains one of the best forwards in the sport and already has 12 World Cup goals to his name - just four less than Miroslav Klose's record of 16. Even with France's stacked squad, Les Bleus are likely to need Mbappe to be firing to stand any chance of another triumph.

Only one of the last seven World Cup Golden Ball awards has gone to a player from a winning nation, meaning it is a fairly open field in terms of contenders for the award.

The nearest challenger to the leading two is England captain Kane, who is given odds of just 7/1 to win the Player of the Tournament, with the Three Lions fittingly also third favourites to win the World Cup.

Kane comes into the tournament off the back of a sensational season which saw him score 61 goals for Bayern Munich and remains England's talisman ahead of this summer.

France star Michael Olise comes next at 10/1, with Argentina superstar Messi priced at 12/1 for a third Golden Ball alongside Brazil forward Vinicius Junior.

Cristiano Ronaldo is priced at 20/1 for a maiden Golden Ball award as he looks to end his career with an elusive World Cup for Portugal, with the same odds given for Manchester City duo Rayan Cherki and Rodri, who will represent France and Spain respectively.

Jude Bellingham is the only other England player with odds of 25/1 or less in the running, with the Real Madrid star level with the likes of Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes and Pedri in the market.

You can discover more 2026 World Cup content in our designated content hub, from an in-depth betting guide and the complete fixture schedule, to individual group previews and a look at the outright winner odds.

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All odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.

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