FIFA confirmed the full list of 2026 World Cup Awards immediately after Sunday’s final, with Spain’s historic title run producing three of the four major individual honors. Rodri, Unai Simón, and Pau Cubarsí all took home hardware for the champions, while France’s Kylian Mbappé claimed the tournament’s top scoring prize despite his team finishing outside the podium entirely.
Spain captain Rodri was named winner of the Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament’s best overall player, edging out Lionel Messi and Mbappé for the honor. Statistically, Rodri’s numbers weren’t the most dominant of the tournament, but his influence on Spain’s ability to control matches from midfield proved decisive to voters. It’s the latest achievement in an already decorated career for the Manchester City midfielder, who also won the 2024 Ballon d’Or. He’s cemented his reputation as one of the sport’s premier tempo-setters even without eye-catching individual statistics.
Mbappé collected the Golden Boot after finishing the tournament with 10 goals and four assists, edging Messi’s eight goals and four assists on the tiebreaker. The award makes Mbappé the first player in the modern era to win consecutive World Cup Golden Boots, having also topped the scoring charts in 2022 with eight goals. Teammate Michael Olise finished with seven assists of his own, a new World Cup record, even as France’s run ended in a third-place playoff rather than the final itself. Messi, at 39, came within two goals and one match of likely sweeping the tournament’s top individual honors entirely.
Among the 2026 World Cup Awards, few were as well-earned as Unai Simón’s Golden Glove for the tournament’s best goalkeeper. He conceded just one goal across Spain’s entire eight-match run, a number that included seven clean sheets and a save percentage of 90.9%, according to Sofascore. He also set a new World Cup record of 650 consecutive minutes without conceding, underscoring how central his form was to Spain becoming the first World Cup-winning team ever to allow just a single goal across an entire tournament.
Rounding out the honors, 19-year-old Spain defender Pau Cubarsí was named the tournament’s Best Young Player, an award recognizing the top performer age 21 or younger. Cubarsí started regularly in Spain’s back line throughout the knockout rounds. He helped anchor the historic defensive effort that carried the team to its second World Cup title. His award adds to a growing list of young Spanish talents, alongside teammate Lamine Yamal, who have announced themselves on the sport’s biggest stage this summer.
Taken together, the 2026 World Cup Awards tell the story of a Spain side built on collective control rather than individual flair alone. Three of the four major individual prizes went to Spanish players, a reflection of how thoroughly La Roja dominated the tournament from start to finish. Spain lifted the trophy for the second time in program history, 16 years after its maiden triumph in South Africa in 2010. This time, doing so without ever trailing for more than a few minutes across the entire competition.
For Mbappé and Messi, the individual honors offer some consolation after both fell short of lifting the trophy itself. Spain’s sweep signals a golden generation that could remain a genuine threat at future tournaments. For the complete list of every award and statistical leader from this year’s competition, Bleacher Report’s full awards breakdown covers each winner in detail. NBC Sports’ complete rundown includes the full scoring charts and statistical leaders from across the tournament.
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