2026Canada · Mexico · United States

What this page will track

Once the tournament kicks off on 11 June 2026, this page collects the edition's individual honours and records as they develop: the Golden Boot race (top scorer), the Golden Ball (best player, voted at the end of the tournament), the Golden Glove (best goalkeeper), the Best Young Player award, and the edition's statistical records — total goals, biggest wins and scoring milestones.

The benchmarks to beat come from Qatar 2022: Kylian Mbappé took the Golden Boot with 8 goals (including a hat-trick in the final), Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball, Emiliano Martínez the Golden Glove, and the tournament produced 172 goals in 64 matches — a World Cup record. With 104 matches on the 2026 schedule, that total-goals record is almost certain to fall; the per-match rate (2.69 in 2022) is the fairer comparison to watch.

There are individual storylines too. The expanded format means the 2026 champion plays eight matches, so a deep-running striker gets more chances at the Boot than ever before. And because eight third-placed teams survive the group stage, a scorer on a modest side can stay in the race far longer than in any previous edition.

How the awards are decided

The Golden Boot is settled by goals, with assists and then fewer minutes played as tiebreakers. The Golden Ball is voted by FIFA's Technical Study Group with a shortlist put to media vote, and the Golden Glove is chosen by the same group for the tournament's best goalkeeper. Until results begin, browse the Teams section to size up the candidates — recent editions suggest the Boot usually goes to a forward whose team reaches at least the semi-finals.