When it comes to football, no position carries quite the weight and scrutiny like that of the goalkeeper. A striker might missed three to four big chances , but if they net the winning goal they’ll steal the headline , they’ll be hailed as a hero by their teammates. A midfielder can misplace a few passes yet still control the tempo of the game. But a goalkeeper? One slip-up can define the entire match. This is why the world’s top goalkeepers are more than just football player ; they can define a game.
In our list of the Top 10 Best Goalkeepers in the World for 2026, We have taken several key factors into account to make a balance between past achievements and current performance:
– Form and consistency: We looked at their performances over the last 12 to 18 months, both at club and international levels.
– Big-game impact: We take into account how they handle pressure in crucial moments, including the Champions League knockouts, international tournaments, or decisive league matches.
Statistical details : We considered save percentages, clean sheets, goals prevented, and how accurately they distribute the ball.
– Trophies and accolades: This includes everything from domestic leagues and continental competitions to individual honors like the Yashin Trophy or Golden Glove.
Leadership and influence: The ability to motivate teammates and organize the defense is often overlooked, but it’s important for top goalkeepers.
Over the decades, the role of a goalkeeper has revolved from a purely defensive position to one of the most demanding all-around roles in football. Legends like Lev Yashin, Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, and Manuel Neuer (active ) have each left their mark on the game, Demonstrate unique skill sets that made them world-class.
Fast forward to 2026, and the position has advanced even further. Today’s goalkeepers must not only excel at saving shots but also be adept at distribution, anticipation, and managing their defensive line. They are now playmakers as well as the last line of defense..
1.Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City)
Following a remarkable season with Paris Saint-Germain, helping them in securing their first Champions League title, Ligue 1, and Coupe de France, with a 67.1% save rate in the league and a 72% save rate in the Champions League,
he transferred to Manchester City on deadline day in the summer of 2025 for £26m, making him the 13th most expensive goalkeeper in history. Since becoming a part of Manchester City, he has played in five matches for both his club and national team, achieving 3 clean sheets and conceding only 1 goal at club level, with 80% save rate in the Premier League and making no mistakes that resulted in goals.
After securing the 2025 Yashin Trophy, Gianluigi Donnarumma continues to be the top goalkeeper globally in 2026.
2. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Thibaut Courtois walked into Real Madrid’s history books, becoming the second most decorated goalkeeper in the club’s history, behind the Spanish legend Iker Casillas, who made 725 official matches for Real Madrid between 1999 to 2015.
The Belgian did not just win several trophies with Real Madrid, he earned himself a lot of individual awards, including the Yashin Trophy 2022, The Best FIFA Goalkeeper 2018, and FIFPRO World 11 in 2023 & 2024.
In the 2025/26 season, and at 33 years old, he’s still going strong and getting better. When Gianluigi Donnarumma played his second game for Manchester City against Napoli and kept a clean sheet under pressure, Bernardo Silva had to compare the feeling with having Thibaut Courtois on the pitch, saying, “With Gianluigi Donnarumma, you have that Thibaut Courtois feeling.”
Thibaut Courtois has kept 3 clean sheets in 6 La Liga matches this season, with a 76.9% save percentage, 73% pass accuracy, 0.26 goals prevented, and zero errors leading to goals. He’s literally getting better as he gets older. He’s the second-best goalkeeper in the world in 2026.
3. David Raya (Arsenal FC)
David Raya first made his name in English football with Brentford, where he played a vital role in their rise from the Championship to the Premier League in 2021/22. Trusted as their number one, he helped the club establish itself in the top flight after years away.
After four seasons with Brentford, Raya secured a move to Arsenal in 2023/24. Since arriving at the Emirates, he has won back-to-back Premier League Golden Gloves, finishing with the most clean sheets in two straight campaigns.
This season, the Spaniard has continued that form, already keeping 3 clean sheets in his first 5 league matches despite facing top opponents such as Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool. He holds an 86.7% save rate, a 0% error record leading to goals, and is proving once again why he belongs among the very best goalkeepers in the world in 2026.
4. Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa)
When Emiliano Martínez left Arsenal for Aston Villa in 2020, it was all about getting minutes on the pitch. At Arsenal, he never got a proper run, but at Villa he finally became a first-choice keeper and he hasn’t looked back since.
For Argentina, Martínez has been a hero. From his penalty saves in the Copa América to his clutch stops at the World Cup, he played a massive part in both triumphs. Those performances earned him back-to-back Yashin Awards in 2023 and 2024, the first goalkeeper in history to do it. He even made the shortlist again in 2025, though Donnarumma took it that year.
Last summer, big clubs came calling — Manchester United were linked, and Saudi sides tried to tempt him with money. In the end, he stayed loyal to Aston Villa, a decision that surprised plenty of people.
Villa may not be a top available , but Martínez has still been sharp fort them this . In his first three matches, he’s kept one clean sheet and a 75% save rate. Even without trophies for club, he continues to prove why he’s among the top goalkeepers in the world.
5. Alisson Becker (Liverpool)
Alisson Becker has established himself as one of the most dependable and all-around goalkeepers of his generation since arriving at Liverpool from Roma in 2018. His signing came at the same time as Liverpools rise under Jürgen Klopp to success, which ultimately ended as champions of the Champions League in 2019 and broke the long wait for the Premier League title in 2020. More than just making reflex saves, Alisson has changed what it means to be a modern goalkeeper with his calm distribution, command of his box, and calmness in one-on-one situations.
On the international stage, Alisson has been comfortable, fending off stiff competition to remain first choice for the national team. His experience and leadership along with consistency has provided consistent value at club and country.
Alisson has not shown signs of regression even as his thirties approach, and he is still the anchor in the defensive set up and one of the few goalkeepers that can pair world class shot stopping with the technical quality required in modern football.
His team mate Alexis Mac Allister has the this to say about him via ESPN:
“I tell him, ‘You know, when I was at Brighton, I didn’t understand what the hype was all about. I didn’t really rate you. Now, damn! I have to admit, you’re the best. Well, ok, you, Dibu Martinez and Thibaut.
Alisson has 2 clean sheets in 5 premier league appearances for 2025/26, with 44.4% saves distribution from shots he faced and 80.3% pass distribution.
6. Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain)
At just 23, Lucas Chevalier has already taken huge steps in his career. Born in Calais, France, he came through Lille’s youth academy, spent a loan spell at Valenciennes to gain experience, and by the 2022-23 season became Lille’s first-choice goalkeeper and won them their first ever ligue 1 trophy in 2020/21 season.
His performances in Ligue 1 earned him recognition. Last season (2024-25), he was awarded Ligue 1’s Goalkeeper of the Year by the UNFP, and included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season. His displays in European games stood out too—he played against top clubs and kept Lille competitive, even in tight matches versus Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
In August 2025, Chevalier made the big move to Paris Saint-Germain, signing a five-year deal running to 2030. PSG reportedly paid around €40 million for him. Despite Gianluigi Donnarumma brilliance he was brought to replace the him as the club’s number one keeper long-term.
He had already made 5 appearances for Paris saint German in ligue 1 and achieve 3 clean sheets already include a penalty save Toulouse in thier 6-3 win. He has all the room to improve as he’s in the early status of his career and can become the best goal keeper in the world as he’s already one of the best goalkeepers in the world 2026.
7. Yann Sommer (Inter Milan)
Yann Sommer has consistently been a reliable and consummate professional in goalkeeping. The 36 years old was Born Morges, Switzerland, he progressed through FC Basel’s youth system before shaping the foundation of his career during loan spells at Vaduz and Grasshoppers. After returning to Basel, he won several Swiss Super League titles and the Swiss Cup.
In 2014, Sommer joined Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany, where he established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s top dependable goalkeepers over close to ten years. His performances at Mönchengladbach earned him a move to Bayern Munich in early 2023 when Neur get injured and he took up the responsibility of being Bayern’s goalkeeper well despite been a high-pressure position he dealt with, as Sommer helped Bayern win Bundesliga honors.
In the summer of 2023, Sommer moved to Inter Milan where he has continued to produce his admirers. Sommer won the Serie A title for the season 2023-24, the Italian Supercoppa, and was placed on the Serie A Team of the Year. His composure on big-game occasions was demonstrated during Champions League nights, where he played exceptionally well including in the semi-finals.
In the 2025/26 season the Switzerland national has made 8 appearances including the club World Cup and gets 4 clean sheets having saved 50% of the shot faced.
On the international stage, Sommer has won 94 caps for Switzerland from 2012 until his recent retirement from international play in 2024. Sommer has represented Switzerland at multiple European Championships as well as World Cups, and he has consistently produced in the big moments.
8. Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)
Matz Sels might not have the global spotlight that follows names like Donnarumma or Courtois, but his story but his consistency has earned him nominations both in the France football Yasim trophy and premier league PFA. Born in Lint, Belgium, Sels began his career with Lierse SK before moving to Gent, where he established himself as one of the top young keepers in Belgium.
In 2016/17 summer , Sels joined Newcastle United, but the move didn’t go as planned. Due to limited games time which could have derailed his career, but instead, he showed dedication to the game by moving to Anderlecht on loan and then to Strasbourg in Ligue 1, where he rebuilt his reputation. At Strasbourg, Sels became a fan favourite. He was even named club captain, proof of the respect he commanded in the dressing room.
By 2024, Sels had earned a move back to the Premier League with Nottingham Forest. For Forest, he’s been more than just a shot-stopper — he’s a leader in a squad battling to establish itself in England’s top flight.
At international level, Sels has faced serious competition from Belgium’s golden generation of goalkeepers ( Thibaut Courtois and Koen Casteels) in particular which limited his appearances. Still, whenever called upon, since his first call up in 2021 he’s only made 11 appearances for the national team.
Last season he was the the second goal keeper with most clean sheets in the premier league only behind David raya who has just one more than him meaning with good team with higher budget he could do better . In the 2025/26 season, the Belgian has already faced 25 shot and saved 16 of them that’s 64% save rate, which is quite remarkable.
9. Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid)
Very few goalkeepers have matched Jan Oblak’s level of consistency for as long as he has. Since joining Atlético Madrid in 2014, he has epitomised a reliable, calm, top class goalkeeper. For a decade and more, he has been part of Diego Simeone’s famous defensive unit, with a combination of lightning reflexes and incredible positioning.
Oblak’s legacy is based on more than just consistency – his statistics speak for themselves. He has won the La Liga Zamora Trophy five times (given to the goalkeeper with the lowest goals to games ratio). Oblak’s 2015/16 season was one of the greatest goalkeeping seasons ever seen in Spain, with a 79% save percentage and only 18 goals conceded in 38 matches. These are numbers we rarely see in the top leagues of Europe.
Beyond being a keeper dominating a domestic league, Oblak has also been an important component of Atlético Madrid’s journeys in the Champions League, including the final in 2016. He has repeatedly been vital in matches where his team were clearly on the back foot, producing world class saves against some of the best forwards in the world, including Messi, Ronaldo and Lewandowski.
Now, in his early thirties, Oblak is still the captain and leader of Atlético. The 2025/26 season has already given hope of a similar performance and season at the top of his profession. Making 61% save rate in the laliga already.
10. Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal)
Few athletes have ever so exemplified the pride of a nation as Yassine Bounou, or “Bono” as he is affectionately called. The Moroccan international emerged as an international star at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, contributing significantly to Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals — the first African nation to ever reach that far. His performances in the exciting penalty shootout victory over Spain and against Portugal with world-class saves added to his football laurels.
Bounou didn’t just appear at the World Cup, however. His journey in football began in Spain, with the B team of Atlético Madrid before he was loaned to Zaragoza and Girona, allowing him to develop as a player. At Sevilla, Bounou became a household name across Europe, especially after his performance in Sevilla’s Europa League victory in 2020, where important saves helped his team defeat Inter Milan in the final. His athleticism, poise, and poise to perform in decisive moments made him one of the standout goalkeepers of La Liga.
In 2023, he made a surprising move to Al-Hilal, demonstrating the “pull” of the Saudi Pro League in recent years. Many saw it as a move away from Europe, however Bounou has established himself in another case.
