Adidas has unveiled updated designs for the World Cup’s three main individual awards — the Golden Ball, Golden Boot and Golden Glove — ahead of the 2026 tournament to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States, according to Adidas.
The company said the 2026 Golden Ball is modeled on the Adidas Trionda match ball that will be used throughout the tournament, the article notes.
The Golden Ball and Golden Boot have been awarded since the 1982 World Cup in Spain, while the goalkeeper award was introduced in 1994 as the Lev Yashin Award and was renamed the Golden Glove in 2010, the article notes.
Lionel Messi is the reigning World Cup Golden Ball winner after Argentina’s 2022 triumph in Qatar, and Kylian Mbappé finished runner-up in that tournament, the report says. Mbappé won the 2022 Golden Boot by a single goal after scoring a hat trick in the final, the article notes. Other past Golden Boot winners mentioned include Harry Kane (2018), James Rodríguez (2014), Thomas Müller (2010), Ronaldo Nazário (2002), Miroslav Klose (2006) and Davor Šuker (1998), with Šuker cited as the only 30-or-over winner of the award.
The Golden Glove is presented to the goalkeeper judged to have distinguished themselves during the World Cup, the article notes. Iker Casillas is identified as the inaugural Golden Glove winner in 2010 after keeping five clean sheets on Spain’s run to the title, and Emiliano Martínez won the 2022 award after recording three clean sheets, key shootout saves and a last-minute one-on-one stop that sent the final to penalties. The report also lists goalkeepers such as Spain’s David Raya, England’s Jordan Pickford and Brazil’s Alisson among those taking part at the next finals.
