A 35-Year-Old Free Agent and a Keeper Who Sold His Kit Just Made the World Cup’s Best XI

The 2026 World Cup has been a strange and wonderful tournament for goalkeepers. The usual suspects showed up. But the list of the ten best stoppers so far is absolutely loaded with names you probably didn’t know a month ago. Two of the top three might be complete strangers to you unless you really follow La Liga or the Argentine league.

Here’s the rundown of the guys who made the biggest impact.

Unai Simon — Spain

You can’t leave him out. Simon set a new World Cup record by going 650 minutes without conceding a goal. That stat comes with an asterisk though. The Athletic Bilbao keeper has only faced eight shots the entire tournament. That’s not a knock on him. It’s a testament to how Spain controls games and how Simon snuffs out danger before it becomes a problem. His positioning is elite. He’s the reason David Raya and Joan Garcia are watching from the bench.

Orjan Nyland — Norway (but really, a free agent)

Nyland is 35 and spent last season sitting on Sevilla’s bench for all but five La Liga matches. He’s a free agent now. And his performance against Brazil was the kind of game that gets you a contract. He saved a Bruno Guimaraes penalty. He pushed a deflected shot onto the post. He could not keep out Neymar’s late spot-kick but he still managed to bring the drama out of Neymar, which is its own kind of win. The former Aston Villa, Bournemouth, and Norwich keeper has put himself in the shop window in a big way.

Mostafa Shobeir — Egypt

Shobeir is the son of Egypt’s Italia ’90 keeper Ahmed. He had the first half of his life against Argentina. Saving a Lionel Messi penalty was somehow one of the easier saves he made. Julian Alvarez hit one so hard it nearly took his arm off at the shoulder. That penalty save from Messi was Shobeir’s second of the tournament, making him just the fourth keeper ever to save two spot-kicks in a single World Cup.

Yassine Bounou — Morocco

Bounou is the penalty king. He saved four spot-kicks in shootouts and normal time, tying the record held by legends like Harald Schumacher and Sergio Goycochea. It’s not luck either. Bounou has been beaten only four times from 12 penalties in Morocco’s last three shootouts. He was also excellent in open play, making six saves against France even as Morocco got eliminated.

Zion Suzuki — Japan

Suzuki was born in New Jersey. That doesn’t happen often with Japanese keepers. Manchester United was linked with him right after he joined Parma in 2024. Leeds and Aston Villa are reportedly fighting for his signature now. He showed why against Brazil, denying Vinicius Jr with a ridiculous save and coming agonizingly close to keeping out Gabriel Martinelli’s late winner. He’s comfortable on the ball and commands his box. He’ll settle fast in the Premier League.

Cameron Beach — Australia

Beach had only two starts before Tony Popovic surprisingly made him the number one. Smart call. Then Popovic tried to get cute, replacing Beach with Mat Ryan for the penalty shootout against Egypt despite Beach playing well again. Egypt was probably thrilled to see Beach leave the field. In four games before that, Beach looked like a veteran, making big saves against Turkey and handling business against the US and Paraguay.

Gregor Kobel — Switzerland

Kobel was Man of the Match as Switzerland beat Colombia to reach their first quarterfinal since 1954. He made several fine saves in 120 minutes then one brilliant stop in the shootout. Kobel said afterward he prefers to play on instinct rather than rely on whatever the goalkeeper coach scribbled on a water bottle. “I think feeling is a big part,” he said. Switzerland’s defense has been rock solid. Only three keepers — Spain, France, and Colombia — have conceded fewer goals than Kobel.

Antony Gill — Paraguay

Just after the last World Cup, Gill was selling his kit to support his family and his prematurely-born son. Three and a half years later, he’s linked with Manchester United. The 6-foot-6 stopper shone against Germany in the round of 32, making two great saves in the shootout to deny Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade. After an opening loss to the US, Gill conceded once in the next three games including extra time against Germany. He saved 16 of 17 shots on his goal. Even France needed a penalty to beat him. No one has a better saves percentage at 86.4 percent.

Diogo Costa — Portugal

Costa is a long-term Chelsea target. He was Man of the Match in the goalless draw with Colombia but his best game might have been against Croatia. Even in defeat to Spain, he made five saves from six shots faced. He’s been steady.

Vozinha — Cape Verde

Vozinha is the keeper this tournament will be remembered by. He made seven saves to keep a stunning clean sheet against Spain on his World Cup debut. Only Northern Ireland’s Pat Jennings made more as a 40-plus keeper against Brazil in 1986. Vozinha went one better against Argentina with eight stops while going head to head with Lionel Messi. His composure on the ball was as impressive as his shot-stopping. He finished the tournament with more dribbles than Cristiano Ronaldo. That is not a typo.