Top Goalkeepers of 2026: David Raya Leads the FC 100

What makes a world‑class goalkeeper in 2026? Shot-stopping still sits at the heart of the job, but that’s only the starting point now. The modern No. 1 has to sprint, pass, read, lead. They must be calm enough to take the ball under pressure, brave enough to play as a spare defender and sharp enough to appear in the right place a split second before the shot arrives.

These 10 goalkeepers have done all of that and more over the past year. Some dragged their teams through penalty shootouts. Some anchored title charges. Some quietly stacked up clean sheets while others chased the headlines. All of them earned a place in the FC 100.

(All stats via ESPN Research; ages and clubs as of Aug. 18.)

10. Matvey Safonov, Paris Saint-Germain/Russia, 27

He is the king of penalty shootouts. No exaggeration. Safonov stopped four of five penalties against Flamengo to deliver the Intercontinental Cup for PSG. That kind of night defines reputations.

Unranked a year ago and new to the FC 100, he responded to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s departure with eight shutouts in 15 league games — a 53.3% clean-sheet rate, the best in Ligue 1 among keepers with at least 15 matches.

The context matters. PSG spent €50 million on Lucas Chevalier, the division’s standout goalkeeper at the time, and started the 2025-26 season with Safonov on the bench. He won over Luis Enrique, took the shirt and never looked back. Liverpool, Munich, Chelsea in the Champions League knockout rounds: he did everything asked of him, no frills, no big errors, just solid, decisive keeping in the biggest games.

He will never be the most spectacular shot stopper or the slickest distributor. What he did do was grow into the role of PSG’s No. 1 in a season when the margin for error was tiny.

What comes next might be even tougher. PSG are again scanning the market for goalkeepers and his starting spot is under threat. For Safonov, that’s another chance to prove people wrong.

9. Jordan Pickford, Everton/England, 32

“Dynamite” is how the Goodison Park chant goes, and that’s exactly how Jordan Pickford has played for Everton since 2017.

New to the FC 100 and unranked last year, he finished last Premier League season with 11 shutouts, tied for third in the division behind David Raya (19) and Gianluigi Donnarumma (15). He didn’t miss a game for David Moyes’ side, throwing himself into spectacular saves that kept Everton in the hunt for Europe until their push fizzled late on.

The story of his summer with England was familiar: every game bar one at the World Cup, a few performances picked apart, one that silenced the noise. His display in the 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca, under intense pressure, underlined why managers trust him on the biggest stages.

Pickford has already committed his future. A new contract ties him to Everton until at least 2029. The targets are clear: drag the club into European competition, go deep in a cup, and keep hold of that England No. 1 shirt with another cycle of challengers on the way.

8. Diogo Costa, FC Porto/Portugal, 26

Efficient. Intelligent. Composed. Diogo Costa feels like a goalkeeper on the runway, waiting for the move that confirms his status.

He’s new to the FC 100 this year, and his numbers in Portugal are absurd. Costa became the first goalkeeper since Odysseas Vlachodimos in 2022-23 to record 20-plus shutouts in a Primeira Liga season. Porto won the title again, and their keeper quietly put up career-best figures: a 79.7% save percentage and just 0.46 goals conceded per 90 minutes in 2025-26.

Costa has been on Porto’s radar for years, but his rise truly began when he took over from the injured Agustin Marchesin in 2021. Since then, he has evolved into one of the sharpest “sweeper keepers” in the game, calmly breaking presses with passes off either foot or long, flat throws that start counters in an instant.

His pure shot-stopping rate has hovered around 70% across his career, so there is still room to climb, yet the trend is obvious: each season looks better than the last. He turned a brief World Cup run with Portugal — out in the round of 16 to Spain — into a springboard.

Chelsea have monitored him, with Xabi Alonso eyeing an upgrade in goal. Manchester United have been linked in previous windows. For now, no one has tested Porto’s resolve, and Costa prepares for another season of Champions League football, still on the brink of that big leap.

7. Alisson, Liverpool/Brazil, 33

He is already a Liverpool legend and still one of the finest goalkeepers on the planet.

This is his eighth FC 100 appearance, though he drops from No. 2 last year to No. 7 after an injury-hit campaign. Muscle problems interrupted his rhythm, and Liverpool as a whole never quite found their old, relentless groove.

Even so, when fit, Alisson remains devastating in one-on-one situations. At 6-foot-4, with impeccable positioning and a calm presence, he routinely forces strikers to overthink, to hesitate, to miss. Brazil trusted him as their No. 1 at the 2026 World Cup, where he added two more shutouts to reach seven overall in the competition — the third most by a Brazilian goalkeeper in the past 60 years.

There was noise about a summer move, with Juventus circling. Liverpool shut that down, determined to keep him for the final year of his contract. If this is the last chapter at Anfield, Alisson will want it to read like the earlier ones: decisive saves, big nights, and another trophy or two before the curtain falls.

6. Emiliano Martínez, Aston Villa/Argentina, 33

Some goalkeepers keep you safe. Emiliano Martínez changes games.

He has that rare X factor: the personality, the edge, the timing to bend a match to his will. Ranked No. 4 in last year’s FC 100 and appearing for the fifth time, he again delivered a season full of drama with Aston Villa and Argentina.

Domestically, he helped Villa finish fourth in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League. He also backstopped a Europa League triumph, keeping a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Freiburg in the final despite breaking a finger in the warmup. He played anyway. He excelled anyway.

His year was a collage of outrageous saves, a few wild errors and one outrageous pass in the buildup to a goal against Lille that was so good his teammates celebrated with him, not scorer John McGinn. Then came the World Cup. Martínez dragged Argentina all the way to the final, making 11 saves in that match alone — the most in a final in the past 60 years and tied for the second-most in any men’s World Cup knockout game over that span. He made 10 of those stops against Spain as he tried to hold back the eventual champions almost single-handedly.

What kind of goalkeeper outshines Lionel Messi in a World Cup final? This one.

Juventus’ interest has cooled, so the next act looks set to unfold with Villa, this time under the bright lights of the Champions League.

5. Joan García, Barcelona/Spain, 25

Joan García crossed the city divide from Espanyol to Barcelona and instantly made the Spanish champions harder to beat. That alone would have been a story. The numbers turned it into something bigger.

New to the FC 100, he conceded just 21 goals in 30 league matches — the fewest across Europe’s big five leagues among keepers with at least 30 appearances. He kept 15 clean sheets and posted a league-best goals prevented figure (GPrv) of 10.72, ahead of Getafe’s David Soria on 9.03.

Barça’s high line frequently leaves their goalkeeper exposed. García handled it. Twice against Rayo Vallecano and away to Espanyol, he effectively rescued points on his own. His save from Pere Milla in the derby earned LaLiga’s Save of the Season and, in eight league games when Wojciech Szczęsny played instead, Barça conceded 15 goals. The contrast was brutal.

García’s impact was so strong that Marc-André ter Stegen has gone to Ajax on loan for 2026-27 in search of minutes. The next challenge is obvious: take his domestic form into the Champions League and then into the Spain setup, where Unai Simón still wears the gloves after delivering a second World Cup for La Roja. García will have to wait, and then fight, for that job.

4. Unai Simón, Athletic Club/Spain, 29

On club form alone, Unai Simón wouldn’t be this high. On international legacy, he absolutely belongs.

Ranked No. 8 last year, now making his second FC 100 appearance, Simón had a fairly ordinary 2025-26 season with Athletic Club. The Basque side finished 12th in LaLiga and struggled in a Champions League league phase that ended with them 29th and on the wrong side of some heavy defeats.

Then came the World Cup.

Simón conceded just one goal in eight matches as Spain won the tournament. He set a new record for most consecutive minutes without conceding at a World Cup — 649, surpassing Walter Zenga’s 517 from 1990 — and took home the Golden Glove. Spain’s structure and dominance of the ball helped, but when the pressure spiked, he stood tall. The semifinal against France told the story: three big late saves, no drama, no fuss.

Luis de la Fuente faced fierce criticism for sticking with Simón over David Raya and Joan García. The coach’s faith in his leadership and composure under pressure proved absolutely right. Add this World Cup to the European Championship he won two years earlier, and Simón’s place in Spain’s goalkeeping history is secure, even if he might not be the most talented Spanish keeper right now.

Next up is a reset at club level under new Athletic coach Edin Terzic, with no European distraction this time. For Spain, the battle resumes in the Nations League against England. De la Fuente must decide: keep his trusted winner or turn to the challengers he has held at arm’s length.

3. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manchester City/Italy, 27

Gianluigi Donnarumma is a giant in every sense. At Manchester City, he reminded everyone why.

Third in last year’s FC 100 and now on his seventh appearance, he arrived in England under unusual circumstances. After helping PSG win the Champions League in 2025, he was told he was surplus to requirements. City moved, and he won the internal fight with James Trafford to become Pep Guardiola’s No. 1.

The numbers backed that decision. Donnarumma kept 15 clean sheets in 34 Premier League games — a 44% shutout rate, the best of his career and second only to David Raya’s 51% in the division (among goalkeepers with more than one appearance). Questions about his play with the ball at his feet haven’t disappeared, but his pure shot-stopping remains elite, and he pushed City close to a farewell title for Guardiola.

Now a new era begins under Enzo Maresca. Donnarumma will want to lock down his status as the long-term first choice and finally taste success with Italy after they missed a third straight World Cup this past summer. For a goalkeeper of his stature, the absence of a recent major international tournament still stings.

2. Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid/Belgium, 34

At 6-foot-7, Thibaut Courtois looms over attackers. The past year proved, again, that he’s far more than just a big frame.

He drops one spot from No. 1 in the 2025 FC 100 but remains a constant at the top of this list, now with eight appearances. Real Madrid’s LaLiga season was disappointing — they finished well behind Barcelona — yet Courtois stood apart. He conceded 28 goals in 32 league games, an average of 0.88 per match, bettered only by Barça’s Joan García. His 13 clean sheets were also second only to García.

In the Champions League, he posted an 81.5% save percentage as Madrid reached the quarterfinals, a mark surpassed only by David Raya. On the international stage, he returned to a major tournament for the first time since 2022 and helped Belgium reach the World Cup quarterfinals. At 1-1 against eventual champions Spain, he went off injured; replacement Senne Lammens then made the error that sent Belgium home. It was impossible not to wonder how the story would have unfolded with Courtois still on the pitch.

Madrid now turn to José Mourinho. Courtois has long asked for more defensive structure and discipline. Mourinho’s arrival, plus heavy investment in the back line, should give him exactly that as the club chase back the title.

With Belgium, he wants a different kind of change. After the World Cup, he said he would welcome a quieter year, staying in Madrid during the Nations League if the federation agrees. If they do, his international story might stretch further. If not, a decision looms.

1. David Raya, Arsenal/Spain, 30

David Raya has gone from a debated signing to the standard by which Premier League goalkeepers are judged.

Ranked No. 6 last year and now top of the FC 100 for the second time, the Arsenal No. 1 delivered a season of relentless consistency. Nineteen league clean sheets — four more than any other goalkeeper. Forty-eight shutouts across the past three Premier League campaigns, 12 clear of the nearest rival. A third straight Golden Glove. A title in his hands, literally and figuratively.

He was central to Arsenal’s 2025-26 Premier League triumph and their run to the Champions League final, where they finished runners-up. Mikel Arteta’s side were built on defensive resilience more than attacking chaos, and Raya was the anchor: commanding in the air, brave on crosses, sharp off his line and calm in possession. The questions that greeted his arrival, as fans argued over whether he truly improved on Aaron Ramsdale, feel very distant now.

On this form, he has every right to call himself the best goalkeeper in the world. Yet he watched Spain’s World Cup win from the bench, with Luis de la Fuente sticking with Unai Simón throughout the tournament. For a keeper at the top of his profession, that’s a frustration that won’t fade quickly.

Arsenal’s next step is clear. Whether Arteta loosens the attacking handbrake or doubles down on defensive control, Raya remains non-negotiable. If they are to defend their Premier League crown — and finally take that last step in Europe — it will almost certainly be with their Spanish No. 1 setting the standard again from the back.