World Cup 2026: Paul Merson predicts Golden Ball, Golden Boot winners, dark horses

Arsenal legend, Paul Merson, has predicted the Golden Ball and Golden Boot winners at the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.

Merson also predicted Colombia and Mexico to be the dark horses of the tournament.

In his column for Sportskeeda,  Merson backed France captain Kylian Mbappe and England captain Harry Kane to win the Golden Ball and Golden Boot of the tournament.

“Golden Ball – Kylian Mbappe (France)

Kylian Mbappe is an obvious choice. He should score lots of goals and go deep in the tournament,” Merson said.

“Golden Boot – Harry Kane (England).

It’s between Kane and Mbappe for me. I would like to believe it’s the England captain.

“Dark Horses – Colombia and Mexico

Colombia can surprise a lot of people. They are a decent team. The humidity will make a massive difference in this tournament, and they have players who are suited to these conditions.

“I also fancy Mexico. I know they haven’t had to qualify because they are one of the hosts, but they produced some big results in recent times.”