The Golden Ball is given to the best player of the World Cup and the criteria is slightly more subjective than the Golden Boot (top scorer), which means there's a higher possibility for a "longshot" player to ultimately capture this honor. The 2026 World Cup has entered the semifinal round with France, Spain, England and defending champions Argentina all still alive in the competition. France are favored to win their third World Cup title and that's why Kylian Mbappe, who is favored to win the Golden Boot, is the top contender for the Golden Ball. However, this race is much closer according to the oddsmakers.
We'll take a look at the latest odds for the Golden Ball at the 2026 World Cup on FanDuel and highlight which players are worth backing ahead of the semifinals on Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15.
2026 World Cup Golden Ball odds (via FanDuel)
- Kylian Mbappe (+150)
- Lionel Messi (+200)
- Jude Bellingham (+440)
- Harry Kane (+900)
- Michael Olise (+1800)
- Lamine Yamal (+2200)
Mbappe and Messi each have eight goals, though the French star does have one more assist than Messi heading into the semifinal stage. However, France have several other potent attacking players like Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Olise and Desire Doue. Even though both have 50% of their team's goals in the competition, Dembele has five for France while Argentina's second-best scorer is Lautaro Martinez with two tallies. It's clear Mbappe has a better supporting cast, but the wrinkle here is Argentina have largely been hanging on by a thread in the knockout stage. They seem one or two plays away from being sent home, while Spain would probably need their best performance of the World Cup to eliminate France. Les Bleus are more likely to reach the final, which would give Mbappe two more opportunities to shine. True soccer fans will highlight Olise as the orchestrator of France's devastating attack, but his numbers don't really stack up to his teammate's for this honor.
If you do believe England will take down Argentina, Bellingham offers great value in this market. He's scored six goals, including four in the last two matches. Kane is in the running here too but Bellingham's goals have come in bigger situations. Both have one assist, though Bellingham probably gets more credit for tracking back defensively.
Yamal was seen as one of the potential breakout stars at this tournament after his run at Euro 2024 but he did not start off strong in the competition while recovering from a hamstring injury. However, his stock would rise tremendously if Spain were to upset France. I wouldn't bank on that, even though La Furia Roja have only conceded one goal so far in this competition.
Mbappe appears to be the safest pick as he's the favorite to win the Golden Boot, but Messi and Bellingham are better options in terms of value. One of those two is going to be playing in the final, and I'd place a wager on either depending on which team you think will win that semifinal matchup. It's hard to pick against Argentina despite their struggles and therefore, I'd back Messi to capture his third career Golden Ball honor.
