2026 World Cup Golden Glove Odds

Q: Can I bet on World Cup top goalkeeper antepost?

There are several World Cup antepost markets including top goalkeeper. The Golden Glove market is now available at leading bookmaker sites. You can compare the latest prices and choose the player you think might win this award. Bear in mind that this is essentially judged by a FIFA panel rather than based on a metric such as clean sheets.

Q: Who are the favourites for the World Cup Golden Glove?

Unai Simon, Jordan Pickford and Emiliano Martinez are some of the Golden Glove favourites. The winner of this award usually plays for a team who have been largely successful at the World Cup. It’s often the triumphant keeper who is recognised. There’s also Mike Maignan and Alisson Becker who are likely to be popular selections.

Q: Has the World Cup Golden Glove winner ever been from the winning team?

The Golden Glove winner regularly plays for the World Cup winners. At the 2022 World Cup, victorious keeper Emi Martinez was given the award, with the same thing happening in 2006, 2010 and 2014. However, there are cases such as Oliver Kahn in 2002 and Thibaut Courtois in 2018 where a different keeper is recognised.

Q: What happens if two players finish level on clean sheets?

The number of clean sheets racked up by a goalkeeper isn’t hugely relevant when it comes to the Golden Glove award. It’s just one of several metrics used by FIFA to determine the Top Goalkeeper at the tournament. It’s possible the player with the most clean sheets doesn’t receive the accolade, especially if they’ve not had many notable performances.

By Matthew Glazier

Jun 3rd, 2026 10:53 AM EDT

Fact Checked By Adam Kenny

We’re all set for the 2026 World Cup, and it’s going to be a massive football tournament. After 2018, FIFA has extended the format so that we now have 48 teams competing across the US, Mexico and Canada from 11th June. That means 12 groups of four nations battling it out to reach the knockout rounds. Bookies.com readers will have more punting options than ever before at football betting sites, with over 100 matches taking place altogether.

There are now lots of antepost markets available for the World Cup. That includes World Cup winner odds, Golden Boot odds, Golden Ball odds and, of course, Golden Glove. The latter is always intriguing, with punters aiming to predict the outcome of the top goalkeeper market.

It’s a great alternative to working out which players might score the most goals or win the Golden Ball award instead. The odds are now available, and you can predict the goalkeeper that will receive this award at the end of the international football tournament.

World Cup Golden Glove Odds

There have never been so many contenders for the World Cup Golden Glove thanks to the increase to 48 teams. It’s worth bearing in mind that the award goes to the best goalkeeper in the tournament according to a FIFA Technical Study Group. Therefore, you are not betting on the player who keeps the most clean sheets, although that is sure to have a bearing on the overall winner.

Indeed, the winning player has always kept at least three clean sheets throughout the World Cup. In addition, they have regularly come to their team’s rescue with some heroic saves.

You may find that these saves are produced during a penalty shootout, and we’re virtually guaranteed to have some ties settled on spot-kicks. Below are some of the leading contenders for the 2026 Golden Glove market at top UK betting sites. However, there are at least a dozen elite goalkeepers who can receive the award this time around.

Emiliano Martinez 5/1

Emi Martinez was the winner of the 2022 Golden Glove award. He played a huge part in Argentina’s success, especially as La Albiceleste won on penalties against Netherlands in the quarters and France in the final.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper remains the firm number one for his country and comes into the tournament after helping his club win the Europa League. The former Arsenal man is clearly a world-class talent who plays for the defending champions, so it's no surprise to see him as a Golden Glove contender.

Unai Simon 5/1

Despite fierce competition from Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, it’s Unai Simon who is expected to be selected between the sticks for Spain. The team’s vice-captain will operate behind a robust defence including Eric Garcia and Aymeric Laporte, with the Athletic Bilbao man having now earned over 50 caps for his country.

La Roja have long been the outright favourites to win the World Cup at most betting apps, which means Simon’s participation in the tournament is likely to go deep. He’s been reliable in several major tournaments but may not be called into action too much of the time.

Alisson Becker 6/1

It’s been an injury-affected season for the Liverpool keeper, although Alisson is likely to be passed fit to take his place in a typically competitive Brazil team.

A Selecao stopper has never won this award, although Carlo Ancelotti’s side might not concede too many goals considering Marquinhos and Gabriel will be reunited in central defence after facing each other in the Champions League final for PSG and Arsenal, respectively. Becker is a brilliant shot-stopper and also super-confident with the ball at his feet, but there’s a chance he could share keeping duties with Ederson.

Mike Maignan 13/2

Fabien Barthez won the Golden Glove in 1998, and perhaps Mike Maignan will follow in his compatriot's footsteps. Despite Les Bleus dripping with attacking talent, manager Didier Deschamps is a pragmatic coach, and a safety-first approach could strengthen Maignan’s chances of winning this award.

The AC Milan keeper doesn’t have too much competition for his spot and can rely on William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Kounde in front of him.

Jordan Pickford 15/2

Pickford brings personality and agility to the England number one position. The Everton goalkeeper has plenty of World Cup experience and has been heroic in several penalty shootouts.

If the Three Lions go deep, it’s likely Pickford will have had a lot to do with it, with Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi likely to provide a foil for the former Sunderland man. Pickford didn’t concede a single goal during qualifying and several clean sheets in the US look to be a likelihood.

World Cup Betting Sites

All of the best World Cup betting sites listed at Bookies.com now provide a Golden Glove betting market. Several of these operators will update the odds throughout the tournament to reflect the state of play. It’s definitely worth checking back after each round of fixtures to see which player’s odds have shortened or lengthened.

It’s also important to find the right fit for you in terms of football betting site. The good news is that we have the leading operators in terms of market range and competitive odds.

It’s recommended that you sign up with a number of these betting sites for the World Cup. For starters, you can qualify for generous new customer betting offers when you register. As experts in this field, we are able to put the spotlight on bookies that provide a first-class football service.

This means creating hundreds of pre-game and in-play markets. We’re also looking for the bookmakers to have daily odds boosts and lots of World Cup betting specials.

World Cup Free Bets

The 2026 World Cup is the perfect sporting event to land yourself free bets. The bookies know that the tournament will be a betting extravaganza. It’s therefore possible to get the best World Cup free bets if you shop around for them. Every bookmaker wants you as their customer considering the volume of matches over the next few weeks. Just remember to read to T&Cs of offers to ensure you qualify for any generous welcome bonuses each time.

Most commonly, you will find that free bets can be landed as part of a sign-up offer. The free bets value is usually bigger than the size of the qualifying stake you have to place. Alternatively, you might find that there’s a new customer enhanced price. That allows you to stake a small amount on a popular selection at inflated odds.

Beyond this, look out for matched deposit bonuses where you can double and even treble your bankroll straight away. There might also be money back specials. This might apply to losing accumulators that miss out with one leg. Alternatively, some bookies will have money back if your first bet is a losing one.

How Does World Cup Top Goalkeeper Each Way Betting Work?

The Golden Glove betting market is Win Only. This is because only one goalkeeper gets this FIFA award, and it’s not strictly based on number of clean sheets. You will find each-way betting is available for several other markets including World Cup Winner and Golden Boot. For these, you can land a return if your team or player is able to finish in the top two, three or four in the overall standings.

How Many Clean Sheets Are Needed to be World Cup Top Goalkeeper?

In the past seven World Cups, the Golden Glove winner has kept at least three clean sheets. In the past two renewals, three was enough for Thibaut Courtois and Emi Martinez to win. It should be noted that clean sheets are only a contributory factor towards winning the award. The FIFA judging panel also look at overall performances and the number of key saves made.

There have been four Golden Glove winners who have kept five clean sheets apiece. They are Fabien Barthez (France, 1998), Oliver Kahn (Germany, 2002), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, 2006) and Iker Casillas (Spain, 2010). The 2026 World Cup could see some goalkeepers surpass the clean sheet tally of five considering there’s a maximum of eight games that can be played in this tournament instead of the previous seven matches. You are likely going to need to pick a contender who makes at least the semifinals, though.

World Cup Golden Glove Betting Tip

It should be noted that four of the past five Golden Glove winners have played for the eventual winners. Therefore, it’s worth going for a goalkeeper who operates for one of the leading teams. However, we’ll shun the market leaders and instead plump for Bart Verbruggen to become the first-ever Netherlands goalkeeper to win this award.

Verbruggen is priced at 25/1 with Betfred, and this should give you a big run for your money. The Dutch are warm favourites to win their group, according to Group F Odds, and the Brighton stopper will operate behind a defence that includes Virgil van Dijk and Jurrien Timber. Although Netherlands aren’t renowned for keeping clean sheets, they may be in the market for a few shutouts against Japan, Sweden and Tunisia during the group stage.

It’s also worth noting that clean sheets form only a modest part of the equation. Anyone who played Fantasy Premier League last season will know that Verbruggen was a quality performer in terms of saves made.

Therefore, playing for a team that concede a few chances may be no bad thing. Let’s not forget that Thibaut Courtois was the winner of the 2018 award despite his Belgium side only finishing third in that tournament, so there is World Cup history on this side.

World Cup Golden Glove History

Year	Winning Player	Country	Number of Clean Sheets
1994	Michel Preud’homme	Belgium	2
1998	Fabien Barthez	France	5
2002	Oliver Kahn	Germany	5
2006	Gianluigi Buffon	Italy	5
2010	Iker Casillas	Spain	5
2014	Manuel Neuer	Germany	4
2018	Thibaut Courtois	Belgium	3
2022	Emiliano Martinez	Argentina	3

What are World Cup Golden Glove odds?

World Cup Golden Glove odds are bookmaker prices for a goalkeeper to win this FIFA World Cup individual award at the tournament. You can bet on any of the keepers to be awarded the Golden Glove at the end of the competition. The odds reflect their implied chances of being crowned as the best stopper in the 2026 World Cup.

Can I bet on World Cup top goalkeeper antepost?

Who are the favourites for the World Cup Golden Glove?

Has the World Cup Golden Glove winner ever been from the winning team?

What happens if two players finish level on clean sheets?

About the Author

Matthew Glazier

More About Matthew

Matthew’s been a professional gambling content writer for over 15 years. Before this, he was Head of Marketing for bet365. He helped build the in-house affiliate programme for the Stoke-on-Trent-based giant. He’s also enjoyed spells with Betfair, William Hill and Sporting Index, and he brings all that industry experience to the table.