The 2026 FIFA World Cup is happening now in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Some players are already standing out in the early group-stage matches.
FIFA has started naming its Player of the Match winners after each game. This award goes to the player who had the biggest impact on the game.
As of June 14, eight players have won the award after the first eight matches.
One of the notable winners is US forward Folarin Balogun. He scored two goals in his team’s strong 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Angeles.
Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior also got the award after helping Brazil secure a 1-1 draw against Morocco. It was a hard-fought match in Group C.
Here are the 2026 World Cup Player of the Match winners so far:
June 11
- Mexico 2-0 South Africa, Julian Quiñones (Mexico)
- South Korea 2-1 Czechia, Hwang In-beom (South Korea)
June 12
- Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ismael Koné (Canada)
- USA 4-1 Paraguay, Folarin Balogun (USA)
June 13
- Scotland 1-0 Haiti, John McGinn (Scotland)
- Australia 2-0 Türkiye, Nestory Irankunda (Australia)
- Brazil 1-1 Morocco, Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
- Qatar 1-1 Switzerland, Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar)
More awards to come
In total, 104 Player of the Match awards will be given out during the tournament. The final will take place on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
PUNCH Online will keep updating this page as the list grows and the tournament moves toward the knockout stages and the final.
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