World Cup 2026 awards: Vote for your player of the tournament, breakout star and more

Five weeks of frenetic World Cup 2026 action have now drawn to a close, with Spain conquering the globe for the second time courtesy of their 1-0 extra-time victory over then-champions Argentina in the final.

Meanwhile, France and England players briefly pushed their semi-final nightmares to one side to serve up a 10-goal thriller in the bronze-medal match, while also taking a sliver of solace from the fact that they progressed further than 44 other nations who graced North America with their presence.

As the tournament winds down, Sports Mole is giving you the chance to vote for your World Cup 2026 awards winners; is Lionel Messi your player of the tournament? Has there been a better breakout star than Johan Manzambi? Were Brazil or Germany the biggest disappointment?

Have your say below! Voting will remain open until 11pm UK time on Monday, after which the results will be revealed on Tuesday, July 21.

World Cup 2026 awards: Who are the likely winners?

With eight goals and a standout four assists to his name, it would have been a shock to see anyone other than Messi take home the accolade for the best player at the 2026 World Cup, although question marks are now being raised after Argentina's final failure and Rodri's Golden Ball triumph.

The breakout star category features two newly-celebrated names at opposite ends of the experience scale; 20-year-old Swiss starlet Johan Manzambi and 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, as well as Mexico's Julian Quinones, Paraguay's Orlando Gill and New Zealand's Elijah Just.

Picking a manager of the tournament would prove tricky until the final whistle blows in the final, unless Norway's Stale Solbakken, Cape Verde's Bubista or Switzerland's Murat Yakin did enough to earn your vote, but Luis de la Fuente is the big frontrunner now.

Cape Verde also make an unsurprising appearance in the biggest overachievers category, but in contrast, the biggest disappointments nominees are brimming with notable names who failed to live up to expectations.

The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil and France are all up for the least-coveted prize, although we have held off on adding England to the list, as a semi-final appearance was perhaps in line with realistic expectations.

The Three Lions still have Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham up for attacker and midfielder of the tournament respectively, but no names in the defender category, where Spain's Pedro Porro is undoubtedly the standout selection.

However, Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi have also earned the right to be shortlisted, after playing critical roles in a Spain defence that conceded just one goal in the entire tournament.