The adidas Golden Glove is the FIFA World Cup award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament. This guide lists every World Cup Golden Glove winner from 1994 to 2026. In 2026, Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón won the award after helping La Roja beat Argentina in the final and lift the trophy.
Below you will find the complete list of World Cup Golden Glove winners, the story of each winner, how the award began as the Lev Yashin Award, how FIFA chooses the winner, and the main records linked to the prize. Every name in the list comes from FIFA’s official best goalkeeper award, so unofficial “best keeper” picks from older tournaments are not mixed in.
World Cup Golden Glove Winners: Full List (1994–2026)
FIFA first handed out a best goalkeeper award at USA 1994. Nine goalkeepers have won it since then, and no one has won it twice.
| Year | Host | Goalkeeper | Country | Award name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | USA, Canada, Mexico | Unai Simón | Spain | Golden Glove |
| 2022 | Qatar | Emiliano Martínez | Argentina | Golden Glove |
| 2018 | Russia | Thibaut Courtois | Belgium | Golden Glove |
| 2014 | Brazil | Manuel Neuer | Germany | Golden Glove |
| 2010 | South Africa | Iker Casillas | Spain | Golden Glove |
| 2006 | Germany | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | Lev Yashin Award |
| 2002 | South Korea and Japan | Oliver Kahn | Germany | Lev Yashin Award |
| 1998 | France | Fabien Barthez | France | Lev Yashin Award |
| 1994 | USA | Michel Preud’homme | Belgium | Lev Yashin Award |
This list includes only the official FIFA best goalkeeper award. Before 1994, FIFA did not give a goalkeeper prize at the World Cup, so earlier “best goalkeeper” picks from media or all-star teams are not part of this record.
How Each Winner’s Team Finished
A goalkeeper’s award is closely linked to how far his team goes. This table shows where each Golden Glove winner’s country finished in the same tournament.
| Year | Winner | Team finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Unai Simón (Spain) | Champions |
| 2022 | Emiliano Martínez (Argentina) | Champions |
| 2018 | Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) | Third place |
| 2014 | Manuel Neuer (Germany) | Champions |
| 2010 | Iker Casillas (Spain) | Champions |
| 2006 | Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) | Champions |
| 2002 | Oliver Kahn (Germany) | Runners-up |
| 1998 | Fabien Barthez (France) | Champions |
| 1994 | Michel Preud’homme (Belgium) | Round of 16 |
Six of the nine winners lifted the trophy. Only Preud’homme in 1994 won the award without his team reaching at least the semi-finals.
2026 Golden Glove Winner: Unai Simón
Unai Simón was named the best goalkeeper of the 2026 World Cup, the first tournament with 48 teams. Spain won the title by beating Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the final. Rodri took the Golden Ball and Pau Cubarsí the Best Young Player Award, so Spain finished the tournament with three of the main individual prizes.
Simón’s win made Spain the third country, after Germany and Belgium, with two different Golden Glove winners. He follows Iker Casillas, who won the award when Spain lifted their first World Cup in 2010. Both times, Spain’s Golden Glove winner was also a world champion.
The expanded 48-team format also meant the finalists played eight matches instead of seven. That gave goalkeepers on the teams that went deep more games in which to impress FIFA’s experts. Read more about Spain’s title run in our 2026 World Cup winner article.
What Is the World Cup Golden Glove?
The Golden Glove is one of FIFA’s individual awards at every men’s World Cup. It sits alongside the Golden Ball for the best player, the Golden Boot for the top scorer, the Best Young Player Award, and the FIFA Fair Play Award. Unlike the Golden Ball and Golden Boot, there are no silver or bronze versions. Only one goalkeeper receives it.
The award is presented after the final, together with the other individual prizes. Because it is sponsored by adidas, it is officially called the adidas Golden Glove.
From the Lev Yashin Award to the Golden Glove
When the award started in 1994, it was called the Lev Yashin Award. Michel Preud’homme, Fabien Barthez, Oliver Kahn and Gianluigi Buffon all won it under that name.
From the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, FIFA renamed it the Golden Glove, in line with the Golden Ball and Golden Boot. The purpose of the award did not change: it still goes to the best goalkeeper of the tournament. That is why the four Lev Yashin Award winners are counted as part of the same list as the Golden Glove winners.
Who Was Lev Yashin?
Lev Yashin was a goalkeeper for the Soviet Union and Dynamo Moscow. He is widely seen as one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history. In 1963 he won the Ballon d’Or, and he is still the only goalkeeper ever to win that award.
Yashin played at several World Cups for the Soviet Union and was famous for his all-black kit, his commanding presence and his ability to save penalties. Naming FIFA’s first goalkeeper award after him was a tribute to his place in the history of the position.
How the Golden Glove Winner Is Chosen
The Golden Glove is not decided by a fan vote or a single statistic. FIFA’s Technical Study Group, a panel of football experts that analyses every match, picks the winner.
The panel looks at the goalkeeper’s full tournament, including:
- Clean sheets – matches in which the keeper did not concede.
- Saves – especially key saves in big moments.
- Overall influence – how much the keeper helped the team progress.
- Performance in knockout games, including penalty shootouts.
FIFA does not publish an exact formula, so a keeper with the most clean sheets does not automatically win. In practice, a deep tournament run helps, because a goalkeeper who plays seven or eight matches has more chances to make an impact than one who goes out early.
Why Team Success Matters So Much
A goalkeeper’s numbers depend partly on the defence in front of him. A keeper behind a strong defence may face fewer shots, while a keeper on a weaker team may make more saves but concede more goals. The Technical Study Group tries to judge the goalkeeper himself, but the pattern of winners shows that playing in the latest rounds is a big advantage.
Knockout matches also create the moments that people remember: a save in extra time, a stop in a shootout, or a clean sheet in a semi-final. These moments often decide which goalkeeper stands out at the end of the tournament.
Every Golden Glove Winner in Detail
1994 – Michel Preud’homme (Belgium)
Preud’homme was the first winner of the award. Belgium went out in the round of 16 at USA 1994 after a 3–2 defeat to Germany, but his performances throughout the tournament were strong enough to earn the first official best goalkeeper prize. He is still the only winner whose team did not reach the quarter-finals.
1998 – Fabien Barthez (France)
Barthez won the award on home soil as France claimed their first World Cup. France beat Brazil 3–0 in the final in Paris, and Barthez was a key part of a defence that made France very hard to break down.
2002 – Oliver Kahn (Germany)
Kahn’s 2002 tournament is the most famous goalkeeping run in World Cup award history. He carried Germany to the final, where they lost 2–0 to Brazil. Despite that defeat, he won both the Lev Yashin Award and the Golden Ball, making him the only goalkeeper to be named the best player of a World Cup.
2006 – Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
Buffon was the last winner of the award under the Lev Yashin name. Italy conceded only two goals in the whole tournament – an own goal and a penalty – and neither was scored from open play by an opponent. Italy beat France on penalties in the final in Berlin.
2010 – Iker Casillas (Spain)
Casillas was the first winner under the Golden Glove name. As Spain’s captain, he lifted the country’s first World Cup after a 1–0 extra-time win over the Netherlands in the final. His one-on-one save from Arjen Robben in that final is one of the best-known goalkeeping moments in World Cup history.
2014 – Manuel Neuer (Germany)
Neuer won the Golden Glove as Germany won the World Cup in Brazil, beating Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the final. He was famous for his “sweeper-keeper” style, often leaving his area to clear danger. His performance in the round of 16 against Algeria became a classic example of that style.
2018 – Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
Courtois helped Belgium achieve their best-ever World Cup finish. Belgium beat Brazil in the quarter-finals and then beat England in the third-place match. He became the second Belgian to win the award, 24 years after Preud’homme.
2022 – Emiliano Martínez (Argentina)
Martínez became the first winner from outside Europe. He was decisive in two shootouts, against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and France in the final. In the final, he also made a late save at the end of extra time before Argentina won on penalties to claim their third world title.
2026 – Unai Simón (Spain)
Simón is the latest winner, from the first 48-team World Cup. He kept Spain solid all the way to a 1–0 extra-time win over Argentina in the final, matching Casillas as a Spanish world champion and Golden Glove winner.
World Cup Golden Glove Records and Facts
Golden Glove winners by country
| Country | Wins | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2 | Oliver Kahn (2002), Manuel Neuer (2014) |
| Belgium | 2 | Michel Preud’homme (1994), Thibaut Courtois (2018) |
| Spain | 2 | Iker Casillas (2010), Unai Simón (2026) |
| France | 1 | Fabien Barthez (1998) |
| Italy | 1 | Gianluigi Buffon (2006) |
| Argentina | 1 | Emiliano Martínez (2022) |
Golden Glove winners by confederation
| Confederation | Wins |
|---|---|
| UEFA (Europe) | 8 |
| CONMEBOL (South America) | 1 |
Key records
- Only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball: Oliver Kahn won both the Lev Yashin Award and the Golden Ball in 2002, even though Germany lost the final to Brazil.
- No repeat winners: no goalkeeper has won the award at two World Cups.
- European dominance: eight of the nine winners are from European nations. Emiliano Martínez of Argentina is the only exception.
- Winners who also won the World Cup: six of the nine winners lifted the trophy in the same tournament – Barthez (1998), Buffon (2006), Casillas (2010), Neuer (2014), Martínez (2022) and Simón (2026).
- Winners whose team did not win: Preud’homme (1994), Kahn (2002) and Courtois (2018).
- Host-nation winner: Fabien Barthez (France, 1998) is the only winner who played for the host country.
- No winner yet from Brazil: Brazil, the most successful World Cup nation, has never had a Golden Glove winner.
You can see every champion in our full World Cup winners list.
Lev Yashin Award Era vs Golden Glove Era
The history of the award can be split into two periods: the four tournaments when it was called the Lev Yashin Award, and the five tournaments since it became the Golden Glove.
| Era | Tournaments | Winners | Winners who also won the World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lev Yashin Award | 1994–2006 | Preud’homme, Barthez, Kahn, Buffon | 2 (Barthez, Buffon) |
| Golden Glove | 2010–2026 | Casillas, Neuer, Courtois, Martínez, Simón | 4 (Casillas, Neuer, Martínez, Simón) |
In the Golden Glove era, the link between the award and the trophy has become even stronger. Four of the five winners since 2010 were world champions, and the only exception, Thibaut Courtois, still reached the semi-finals with Belgium.
The Lev Yashin Award era was more varied. It included a winner whose team went out in the round of 16 (Preud’homme) and a winner who lost the final but was still named the best player of the whole tournament (Kahn). This shows that the experts have been willing to reward outstanding individual performances even when the team did not win.
Golden Glove vs Other World Cup Awards
The World Cup has several individual awards, and each one measures something different. Here is how the Golden Glove compares:
| Award | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Golden Glove | Best goalkeeper |
| Golden Ball | Best player of the tournament |
| Golden Boot | Top scorer |
| Best Young Player | Best young player of the tournament |
| FIFA Fair Play Award | Team with the best disciplinary record |
The Golden Boot is the only one of these awards based mainly on a single statistic. The Golden Glove depends on expert judgement of the whole tournament. That is why a goalkeeper with fewer clean sheets can still win it if his saves were more important to his team’s success.
Goalkeepers and Penalty Shootouts
Goalkeepers play a special role in knockout football. When a match is still level after extra time, the keeper becomes the main figure in the shootout. Strong shootout performances often shape how a goalkeeper’s tournament is remembered.
Two Golden Glove winners won the World Cup final on penalties: Gianluigi Buffon in 2006 and Emiliano Martínez in 2022. In both cases, the final went to a shootout after extra time, and the goalkeeper’s team held its nerve to win the trophy.
Why Goalkeepers Rarely Win Football’s Biggest Individual Awards
Outfield players, especially forwards, usually dominate individual awards because goals and assists are easy to see and count. A goalkeeper’s best work is often preventing something from happening, which is harder to measure.
That is one reason FIFA created a separate award for goalkeepers in 1994. The Golden Glove makes sure the best keeper at each World Cup is recognised, even when the Golden Ball goes to an outfield player. Since 1994, Oliver Kahn is the only goalkeeper to win both awards at the same tournament.
For official tournament information, you can visit FIFA’s official website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Golden Glove at the 2026 World Cup?
Unai Simón of Spain won the Golden Glove at the 2026 World Cup.
Who won the Golden Glove in 2022?
Emiliano Martínez of Argentina won the Golden Glove at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Who won the Golden Glove in 2018?
Thibaut Courtois of Belgium won the Golden Glove at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
When was the Golden Glove first awarded?
FIFA first gave a best goalkeeper award at the 1994 World Cup. It was called the Lev Yashin Award until it became the Golden Glove in 2010.
Who was the first Golden Glove winner?
Michel Preud’homme of Belgium was the first winner, at USA 1994, when the award was called the Lev Yashin Award.
Has any goalkeeper won the Golden Glove twice?
No. Nine different goalkeepers have won the award, and nobody has won it more than once.
Has a goalkeeper ever won the Golden Ball?
Yes. Oliver Kahn of Germany is the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball, in 2002.
Which country has the most Golden Glove winners?
Germany, Belgium and Spain share the record with two winners each.
Has a Brazilian goalkeeper ever won the Golden Glove?
No. Brazil has never had a World Cup Golden Glove winner.
Who chooses the Golden Glove winner?
FIFA’s Technical Study Group chooses the winner after reviewing every goalkeeper’s performances during the tournament.
Conclusion
The World Cup Golden Glove has honoured the best goalkeeper at every World Cup since 1994. From Michel Preud’homme to Unai Simón, nine different goalkeepers have won it, with Germany, Belgium and Spain sharing the record of two winners each. The award started as the Lev Yashin Award and became the Golden Glove in 2010, but its aim has stayed the same: to recognise the keeper who made the biggest difference at the tournament.
To explore more World Cup awards and records, see our guides to the Golden Ball and Golden Boot winners.
