Online Reporter
With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly presumably disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d’Or hasn’t felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players now beginning each campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer.
Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued by injuries and inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he was among a crowded field of contenders again in 2026.
Dembele largely secured the award off the back of his performances in helping Paris Saint-Germain win their first European Cup, and the Champions League is yet again likely to have a big say on the Ballon d’Or battle this time around. However, it’s also been a World Cup year, so there is a chance that displays during the summer in North America have a huge bearing on the final result.
Don’t forget, too, that the Africa Cup of Nations will also be taken into account, meaning there could be some players who have not only shone for their clubs but also impressed at two major tournaments over the course of the campaign.
Spain’s victory in the World Cup final not only brought down the curtain on the season, but also the battle for the Ballon d’Or, with no one able to do any more to stake their claim. GOAL’s Ballon d’Or Power Rankings has been tracking the likeliest recipients of the 2026 Golden Ball over the past nine months, and here is who we believe is most likely to stand atop the podium at the ceremony in London on October 26.
1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
In 2025-26: 73 goals, eight assists. Won Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal & DFL-Supercup.
There will always be those who don’t fully appreciate Harry Kane, but now that he has got the trophy monkey off his back that so many used to beat him with, the Bayern Munich striker has looked like a man on a mission, utterly determined to show that he is also worthy of individual recognition as he found the net at a remarkable rate.
As well as scoring mountains of goals, Kane showcased his all-round game to devastating effect for the Bundesliga champions, while he netted six times for England during their run to the World Cup semi-finals.
Coming up short in North America opened the door for others to steal the Ballon d’Or away from him, but given this is a prize that is routinely handed out to the player who has enjoyed the best individual season, it’s hard to argue with Kane not finishing on top of the podium.
2. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
In 2025-26: 26 goals, 21 assists. Won World Cup, La Liga & Supercopa de Espana.
The bookmakers’ Ballon d’Or favourite heading into the season, Lamine Yamal is well on course to become the first player under the age of 21 to claim the award – and he wouldn’t even have to win it in 2026 to do so!
The Barcelona teenager’s performances in the latter stages of last season’s Champions League saw him emerge in the eyes of many as the finest footballer in the world, and his runners-up finish behind Dembele in the voting was testament to that.
There are those who still believe Yamal needs to produce more decisive moments in the biggest games, while there are concerns that the number of matches he has played at such a young age are leading to an increase in injury issues that ultimately brought a premature end to his club campaign and played a role in his limited output for Spain at the World Cup.
He was still able to showcase his unique dynamism as La Roja went all the way in North America, but Yamal’s failure to put his own individual stamp on the tournament means he may well fall just short in the Ballon d’Or race once again.
3. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
In 2025-26: 44 goals, 30 assists. Won MLS Cup.
The days of Lionel Messi even being nominated for the Ballon d’Or were thought to be behind us, but after guiding Inter Miami to their first-ever MLS Cup before enjoying a sparkling World Cup with Argentina, there is still a real chance that the eight-time winner earns himself another Golden Ball for his collection.
Messi proved to be a class apart on his way to winning a second-straight MLS MVP award as he provided six goals and seven assists in Miami’s six play-off matches alone, and certainly that success at club level should be taken into account when the Ballon d’Or voters complete their ballots.
He went on to score eight times and provide four assists during a virtuoso World Cup, and though he couldn’t carry Argentina all the way this time around, he did enough to show, at 39, that he remains one of, if not the best footballer on the planet.
4. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
In 2025-26: 26 goals, 41 assists. Won Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal & DFL-Supercup.
Anyone who predicted that Michael Olise would struggle to make the step up from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich has been sorely mistaken, with the winger having strung together two years of fantastic performances for the Bundesliga champions.
Equally capable of scoring as he is creating goals for others, the 24-year-old has grown into one of the most fearsome forward players in Europe while also making his mark on the Champions League, most notably against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, whom he ran ragged for long periods at the Bernabeu before capping the tie with a goal back in Bavaria.
Olise’s club performances also helped him lock down a starting spot in the France line-up despite intense competition for places, and he was one of the stars of Les Bleus’ World Cup campaign, with his creativity and eye for a pass helping him provide a record-breaking seven assists.
5. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)️
In 2025-26: 58 goals, 14 assists.
Is this the year Kylian Mbappe finally gets his hands on the Ballon d’Or? Almost from the moment he emerged as a teenager at Monaco, the forward has been anointed a future Golden Ball winner.
But having turned 27 in December, Mbappe is still waiting for his opportunity to stand atop the podium.
For much of the season, he could have done little more to give himself the best chance possible of ending that wait, as Mbappe carried a struggling Real Madrid, to the point that he picked up a knee injury that he struggled to fully recover from, during which time Los Blancos’ hopes of ending the season with a trophy gradually drifted away.
Mbappe does, however, tend to save his best performances for World Cups, and for the third tournament running he was one of the standout performers, with his 10 goals earning him a historic second Golden Boot. —Goal
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