As of April 21, 2026, there is no live Golden Glove leader because no World Cup minutes have been played. Every goalkeeper starts level, and FIFA will only name the winner after the tournament ends on 19 July.
That makes this page a pre-tournament tracker for now. It focuses on the award rules, the past winners, and the goalkeepers with the strongest recent FIFA recognition or tournament pedigree once World Cup 2026 begins.
Quick Answer
No goalkeeper leads the live race yet. Emiliano Martinez remains the clearest reference point because he won the Golden Glove at Qatar 2022, while Gianluigi Donnarumma arrives with fresh FIFA recognition from The Best awards.
Pre-Tournament Watchlist
This is not an official FIFA shortlist. It is an editorial watchlist built from recent World Cup performances and the latest FIFA goalkeeping honours.
| Rank | Player | Country | Why He Is on the Watchlist | World Cup 2026 Clean Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emiliano Martinez | Argentina | 2022 Golden Glove winner | 0 |
| 2 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | Italy | The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper 2025 | 0 |
| 3 | Mike Maignan | France | Nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper 2024 | 0 |
| 4 | Unai Simon | Spain | Nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper 2024 | 0 |
| 5 | Yassine Bounou | Morocco | The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper finalist in 2022 and 2023 | 0 |
Why These Goalkeepers Stand Out Before Kickoff
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Donnarumma has the strongest current award profile because FIFA named him The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper 2025. That gives him the clearest recent recognition of any keeper linked with this race.
If Italy is organised and hard to break down, he will quickly move from watchlist name to live leader.
Emiliano Martinez
Martinez is the last World Cup Golden Glove winner and FIFA also named him The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper in 2024. That is a serious combination because it joins proven World Cup quality with fresh award recognition.
Argentina also know how to protect a lead late in matches, which naturally strengthens his Golden Glove case.
Yassine Bounou
Bounou stays relevant because FIFA listed him among the final three for The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award in both 2022 and 2023. Few active keepers can match that recent recognition.
If Morocco stays compact again, Bounou will not need many high-volume matches to enter the shortlist.
Past Golden Glove Winners
| Year | Winner | Country | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Michel Preud'homme | Belgium | 2 clean sheets |
| 1998 | Fabien Barthez | France | 5 clean sheets |
| 2002 | Oliver Kahn | Germany | 5 clean sheets |
| 2006 | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | 5 clean sheets |
| 2010 | Iker Casillas | Spain | 5 clean sheets |
| 2014 | Manuel Neuer | Germany | 4 clean sheets |
| 2018 | Thibaut Courtois | Belgium | 3 clean sheets |
| 2022 | Emiliano Martinez | Argentina | 3 clean sheets |
How the Golden Glove Is Decided
The Golden Glove is not automatically awarded to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets. FIFA's Technical Study Group selects the best overall tournament goalkeeper, which means saves, command, big-match impact and pressure moments all matter.
The prize goes to the goalkeeper who defines the tournament most clearly, not only the one who sees the least action.
Frequently Asked Questions
No goalkeeper is leading yet because the tournament has not started and every contender begins on zero clean sheets.
FIFA's Technical Study Group selects the best overall goalkeeper of the tournament, not simply the player with the most clean sheets.
Emiliano Martinez won the award for Argentina at Qatar 2022.
The award is confirmed at the end of the tournament, once FIFA finalises its post-final honours.