Best Betting Sites for World Cup 2026 Golden Glove
World Cup Golden Glove betting gives you the opportunity to wager on which goalkeeper will be named the best of the tournament.
On this page, we’ll break down the favourites and show you how the award winner is chosen in our World Cup 2026 Golden Glove guide.
Where to Bet on the World Cup Golden Glove
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What Is the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Award?
Like the Golden Ball, the Golden Glove is determined after the FIFA Technical Study Group considers the performances of the top goalkeepers in the World Cup. However, unlike the overall best player award, there is no media voting, nor is there objective criteria, as with the Golden Boot. Instead, the technical group simply chooses the winner.
The committee relies on several criteria when determining a winner. These include how many clean sheets each goalkeeper has earned, how many saves they’ve had to make, how much time they’ve spent in goal for the tournament, and how well they’ve performed in key moments, such as penalty shootouts.
Best Goalkeepers at FIFA World Cup 2026
While any goalkeeper can go on an incredible run of clean sheets to potentially win the Golden Glove, most winners come from a shortlist of favourites that can be identified before the tournament begins. Here’s a look at five top contenders in World Cup Golden Glove betting for 2026, any of whom would be an excellent choice to use your World Cup bonus offers or promotions on.
Alisson Becker (Brazil)
Alisson Becker (Brazil)
Alisson will get the nod as the primary goalkeeper for a Brazilian team that expects to go deep in the World Cup 2026. The Liverpool standout has been playing as well as ever in the 2025/26 season after overcoming some injury concerns last year, and remains a great keeper when it comes both to one-on-one stops and his ability to play the ball at his feet.
While Ederson may challenge Alisson for playing time this summer, Alisson’s big game experience makes him a likely choice for all key matchups. That makes him a clear favourite to walk away with the 2026 World Cup Golden Glove.
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
Emiliano Martinez won the Golden Glove in 2022, recording three clean sheets while helping Argentina win the World Cup. He’ll be in goal again for the defending champions, where he’ll get plenty of opportunities to shine. And if he continues his success in penalty shootouts, that could give him the highlight moments he needs to secure another Golden Glove award.
Alisson Becker (Brazil)
Alisson Becker (Brazil)
Yes, Brazil are lucky enough to be taking two of the top five goalkeepers to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. If we look at outright shot stopping stats, then Alisson surpasses Ederson. However, there is an argument to be had that Ederson is better with the ball at his feet.
Alisson has been the favoured starter for Brazil in the past, but Liverpool’s shaky start to the season could see that change. Even if he finds himself on the bench at first though, you can bet that Alisson’s Golden Glove odds for the 2022 World Cup will still be short.
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
As perhaps the most physically imposing goalkeeper in the tournament, Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois has proven that he can deliver standout performances time and again. The 2018 Golden Glove winner, Courtois has also come up big in Champions League finals for Real Madrid. However, his injury concerns and the fact that Belgium may not make as deep a run as some of the other teams with elite goalkeepers could leave him a bit behind Alisson and Martinez.
Ederson (Brazil)
Ederson (Brazil)
Ederson is supremely talented, an outstanding distributor, and has won multiple Golden Gloves in the Premier League. There’s only one issue holding him back from being closer to the top of this list: the expectation that Alisson will be Brazil’s primary keeper during the World Cup. If that changes, or if Alisson struggles, Ederson could see his World Cup Golden Glove betting odds shorten significantly.
Mike Maignan (France)
Mike Maignan (France)
France will be looking to make a third straight World Cup final, and Mike Maignan gives them a commanding presence at the back. Not only is he an elite shot-stopper, “Magic Mike” will also benefit from France’s outstanding defence, meaning he’ll likely get at least a couple clean sheets without having to make too many great plays. If France near the top of the World Cup outright winner market, Maignan will be a top Golden Glove contender.

World Cup Golden Glove Betting Tips
Predicting the right Golden Glove winner ahead of the tournament can be tricky business. Unlike the World Cup top goalscorer, this award isn’t based solely on stats, which brings a level of subjective opinion into the frame.
Not to worry though, as we have five tips to help you pick the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove winner.
Back a European Goalkeeper
Back a European Goalkeeper
Until Emiliano Martinez’ starring turn in Qatar 2022, every winner of the Golden Glove award in its current guise had been European. History suggests that when it comes to World Cup Golden Glove betting, backing one of the top European keepers isn’t a bad strategy at all.
Look at the Tournament Favourites
Look at the Tournament Favourites
Six of the last eight World Cup Golden Glove winners have played for the team that lifted the trophy. As a result, logic dictates that the first-choice goalkeepers for the favourites will also rank highly when it comes to the Golden Glove betting odds for the 2026 World Cup.
Fun fact: the only two non-champion Golden Glove winners since 1994 have been Belgians – Thibaut Courtois in 2018 and Michel Preud’homme in 1994.
Consider Club Performances
Consider Club Performances
All international football players are selected because of their performances at club level. Although it’s not always the case, goalkeepers tend to carry their club form into international tournaments. For example, in 2014 Manuel Neuer won the Bundesliga title with Bayern in the same season that he went on to lift the award at the World Cup.
Study the Stats
Study the Stats
As we’ve said before, when it comes to World Cup 2026 Golden Glove odds, the stats aren’t everything. Ultimately, it is the FIFA Technical Study Group that decides the winner based on overall performances. However, in 2006, 2010 and 2014, the Golden Glove winner also produced the most clean sheets, so the stats do play a crucial part in the overall decision.
Look at the Feet
Look at the Feet
In the modern game, being a good shot stopper simply isn’t enough for a goalkeeper to be considered truly world class. Especially when playing for possession-based teams, goalkeepers play a key role in build-up play and ball distribution – with Brazil’s Ederson being a prime example.
This is something that is definitely taken into account by the decision makers in the FIFA Technical Study Group.

History of the FIFA Golden Glove Award
Past winners of the Golden Glove have included some of the most legendary goalkeepers in the recent history of football. The award was only first awarded in 1994, when it was named the Lev Yashin Award after the great Soviet goalkeeper. It was renamed the Golden Glove ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
Belgium’s Michel Preud’homme won the first ever Golden Glove despite recording only two clean sheets in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Since then, some of the greatest keepers in the game have taken home the Golden Glove trophy, including Oliver Kahn, Gianluigi Buffon, Manuel Neuer, and Thibaut Courtois.
While this award does specifically honour goalkeepers, that doesn’t mean that keepers can’t get even more recognition for outstanding performances. In 2002, Kahn not only won the Golden Glove, but also the Golden Ball after recording five clean sheets for Germany, which finished as the runners-up in the World Cup that year.
The last two winners of the Golden Ball are Thibaut Courtois (2018) and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez (2022), both of whom will be in goal and are considered strong contenders to win the award again in 2026. If either does, they will be the first player to win two World Cup Golden Glove awards.
Lev Yashin Award Winners
| World Cup | Award Winner |
|---|---|
| 1994 United States | Michel Preud’homme |
| 1998 France | Fabien Barthez |
| 2002 South Korea/Japan | Oliver Kahn |
| 2006 Germany | Gianluigi Buffon |
Golden Glove Award Winners
| World Cup | Award Winner |
|---|---|
| 2010 South Africa | Iker Casillas |
| 2014 Brazil | Manuel Neuer |
| 2018 Russia | Thibaut Courtois |
| 2022 Qatar | Emiliano Martínez |
Get the Best World Cup Golden Glove Odds
Now you know everything you need to about the history of the World Cup Golden Glove award, past winners and the best goalkeepers heading to World Cup 2026, it’s time to predict the winner.
Join our top-rated bookmaker to take advantage of the best World Cup Golden Glove odds.
