2026 World Cup Player of The Tournament Predictions: Who Will be the World Cup's Best Player?

World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament Award Predictions

One of the most interesting predictions at the start of a major tournament always seems to go marginally under the radar, especially when it comes to the World Cup.

That prediction is who's coming away with the Player of the Tournament award and this years edition of the World Cup has, at least on paper, one of the most exciting races for it in recent memory.

What makes it so exciting is comparatively to some other years there is no absolute standout that we expect will win it, currently there are at least 5 who have a case of being favourite for the award come the end of the competition.

With these predictions we're going to be showing the odds that talkSPORT BET have for all the candidates at the time of writing so if you fancy putting money on the line over who you think will win the Player of the Tournament then follow the link above.

The Candidates

As mentioned there are a lot of players who could feasibly be on this list however we are only going to include the bookies' top 7 favourites for the award or else this article would end up as a 2 hour long read. Stats included are from SofaScore.

1) Michael Olise - France - 6/1

Olise has been an absolute revelation over in Munich, we all saw his quality at Crystal Palace but I think it's safe to say that nobody expected him to hit the levels he has since his move. He has managed an absolutely staggering 22 goals and 26 assists in 52 games across all competitions. To help his chances France are one of the absolute favourites for the whole tournament.

When Michael Olise tore it up at the Paris Olympic Games 😮‍💨🇫🇷

Happy birthday to "Mr. Nonchalant" who turns 24 today 🎉 pic.twitter.com/hze4F6tWlR

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 12, 2025

2) Harry Kane - England - 8/1

If Harry Kane leads the side to bring football back home then he is undoubtedly the favourite for the Balon D'or and it comes at a perfect time as he has been on fire in front of the net through the season. He has managed a genuinely staggering 61 goals and 7 assists in 51 games across all competitions this campaign and to add to this the whole England squad had been prioritised around getting the best out of him.

Harry Kane: one of the most prolific goalscorers in the world ✅

Also Harry Kane: @FCBayern | #UCL pic.twitter.com/vNUK8ymY9V

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 6, 2026

3) Kylian Mbappe - France - 8/1

Mbappe has been at the centre of a whirlwind of a season at Real Madrid, with campaigns by the fans to get him out and genuine hospitalisations occurring in the Bernabau dressing room it has been incredible to watch from the outside. Despite all this it will never rule out Mbappe having a phenomenal World Cup as the quality that he possesses is among the best in the world even in an off season. This year at Madrid amongst everything he has still managed a whopping 42 goals and 6 assists in 44 games in all competitions.

🇫🇷🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Kylian Mbappé and President Emmanuel Macron in front of the France squad. pic.twitter.com/bJ1Le0Dg0p

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) June 4, 2026

4) Lamine Yamal - Spain - 8/1

There's a type of poetry in the 2026 World Cup being both the last tournament of Lionel Messi and the first tournament of the man tipped to be the next version of him in Lamine Yamal. Despite only being 18 years old Yamal is comfortably in the conversation for best player in the world and has yet again solidified this with an outstanding season for Barcelona. He has racked up 24 goals and 17 assists in 45 games across all competitions.

Lamine Yamal vs Atleti 🥵#UCL pic.twitter.com/MSDmN8M4p1

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 13, 2026

5) Lionel Messi - Argentina - 12/1

On the flip side to Yamal coming into the tournament to try solidify himself as a few in a lifetime style player we will be seeing the final ever World Cup of the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi who will be looking to make it both back to back World Cup victories and Player of the Tournament awards. He may now be 38 years old but how well he's playing over in the MLS has proven he's still got it and will certainly be in the conversation for the Player of the Tournament award. He has recorded 13 goals and 7 assists in 16 games in the 2026 season, coming off of the back of 43 goals and 25 assists in 49 games in the 2025 season.

Another chapter for Lionel Messi 🇦🇷#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/lCXUNebNhK

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 3, 2026

6) Rayan Cherki - France - 12/1

Cherki was one of the most in demand talents in the world before he signed for Manchester City with many critics wondering how his style would translate to a Pep Guardiola side. He has since proven those critics wrong and has been one of the standout talents of the season and is reaching the potential everyone saw in him when he was Lyon's main man at 18. This season he managed 10 goals and 16 assists in 52 games across all competitions.

Rayan Cherki - Chance Creation 2025/26pic.twitter.com/dRpe2BgUsA

— Football Performances (@FCPerformances) April 13, 2026

7) Vinicius Jr - Brazil - 14/1

Another one of Real Madrid's players that has suffered through a turbulent season at the Spanish giants is Brazil talisman, Vincius Jr. Many have forgotten the quality that Vini has as one of the worlds best since the arrival of Mbappe but it cannot be overstated just how phenomenal of a player the Brazilian winger still is. In fact this season has been his most productive in a Madrid shirt since his arrival back in the 18/19 season, he has managed 22 goals and 10 assists in 53 games across all competitions.

🇧🇷 90'+9' - VINICIUS JR. GOLAZO!#WeAre26 | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/1EwUiYlDyw

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 21, 2025