Ballon d’Or 2026: List of favourites and Predictions

The 2026 Ballon d’Or Race Is Reaching Boiling Point! The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or is coming right down to the wire after the end of 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the Novibet blog is giving you the full lowdown on everything you need to know about crowning the finest footballer on the planet this year.

The Ballon d’Or is, without a shadow of a doubt, the ultimate individual prize in the game.

Ever since 1956, when the French mag France Football first set up the legendary award, winning it is basically getting officially crowned as the best player in the world.

Down through the decades, absolute icons of the game have left an indelible mark, giving us moments that’ll live long in football folklore.

The Novibet blog keeps you covered on the latest football news and breaks down the big favourites in the race and which stars are gearing up to write their own chapter on football’s grandest stage, following Ousmane Dembélé, who took home the coveted title in 2025. You can check on the Winners Outrights and make your own pick

Check out also the Outrights on Premier League, LaLiga Champions League and the biggest football competitions of the new season 2026-27!

The Criteria for the 2026 Ballon d’Or

Naming the top player of the year isn’t just about pure skill. It’s based on a proper evaluation setup put together by France Football.

For the 2026 Ballon d’Or, voting journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings are called on to cast their ballots based on three main things:

• Individual Performance & Influence: A player’s own displays, the raw stats (goals, assists, crucial saves), and the overall impact the lad had on his team’s play right through the season.
• Team Success & Silverware: Lifting trophies at both club level (league titles, Champions League) and for the country in the big tournaments of the season (the World Cup).
• Class & Fair Play: How the player acts on and off the pitch, his sportsmanship, and the kind of example he sets for the whole football community.

💡 Important Note: Just like the last few years, the Ballon d’Or is judged on what was done during the actual football season (2025/2026) rather than the calendar year. On top of that, a player’s overall career isn’t taken into account for the scoring anymore, so it’s strictly about who did the business this season.

The favourites and their 2025-26 achievements

Lamine Yamal (Spain – Barcelona)

At just 19 years of age, Lamine Yamal is already up there with the absolute elite of world football, and he fully deserves his spot as one of the main contenders for the golden ball.

The Barcelona and Spain superstar already has a trophy cabinet that’d make veterans jealous, acting as a key pillar for La Roja as they pulled off back-to-back Euro and World Cup triumphs.

Achievements 2025-26:

Spanish LaLiga: Champion
Copa Del Rey: Semi-Finalist
Champions League: Quarter-Finalist
2026 World Cup: Champion

Harry Kane (England – Bayern Munich)

The England skipper is fresh off a monster season at club level, bagging a ridiculous 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich to secure the domestic Double and reach the Champions League semi-finals (where Bayern were barely edged out by PSG).

Kane had an equally deadly run with England at the World Cup, knocking in 6 goals and leading from the front. It could have ended in ultimate glory had the English not been caught out by an Argentina comeback in the semi-finals.

Achievements 2025-26:

Bundesliga: Champion
German Cup: Champion
Champions League: Semi-Finalist
2026 World Cup: 3rd Place

Rodri (Spain – Manchester City)

The Spanish skipper has his eyes firmly set on repeating his 2024 glory, when he bagged the main award after driving Manchester City to that famous Treble as the absolute star of the show.

Now he’s hunting for a second Ballon d’Or, having come back stronger than ever from that nasty ACL tear two years ago, proving he’s just picking up right where he left off before the injury.

Rodri is coming off an absolute stormer of a World Cup on a personal level, acting as the main man and leader for a dominant Spain side that conquered the world, picking up the Player of the Tournament award.

Achievements 2025-26:

Premier League: Runner-up
FA Cup: Champion
Champions League: Round of 16
2026 World Cup: Champion & MVP of the tournament

Kylian Mbappé (France – Real Madrid)

Kylian Mbappé already has a guaranteed spot in the history books, smashing records left, right, and centre with plenty of years left on his side to do even more damage.

Racking up 10 goals at the World Cup saw him finish top scorer at the finals for the second tournament in a row, something nobody in the history of the game has ever done. That brings his total to 22 goals, placing him right at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring charts.

The Frenchman’s individual numbers in 2026 are pure madness: top scorer in the Champions League (15), La Liga (25), and the World Cup (10). Even if he ended up empty-handed with Real Madrid and France after missing out on the World Cup final, those unbelievable stats keep him right in the mix for the award.

Achievements 2025-26:

Spanish LaLiga: Runner-up
Copa Del Rey: Round of 16
Champions League: Quarter-Finalist & Top Scorer
2026 World Cup: 4th Place & Golden Boot & All-time Leading Scorer

Lionel Messi (Argentina – Inter Miami)

Lionel Messi is the undisputed king of the Ballon d’Or, with more wins than anyone else (8). Even at 39 years of age, the man is still proving he belongs at the absolute top table.

Dragging Argentina all the way to the World Cup final with a savage tally of 8 goals and 4 assists just goes to show why most people still reckon he’s the greatest of all time.

If the Albiceleste had managed to hang onto their world title, Messi would be the nailed-on favourite to scoop a 9th Ballon d’Or, his first since 2023. But even without the trophy, you simply can’t leave him out of the conversation.

Achievements 2025-26:

MLS Regular Season: Golden Boot & MVP
MLS Cup: Champion
2026 World Cup: Runner-up & second scorer of the tournament & All time

Ousmane Dembélé (France – PSG)

The reigning Ballon d’Or holder didn’t rest on his laurels for a single second in 2025/26, proving to be a nailed on starter and an absolute nightmare for defenders right across Europe. Dembélé was at his electric best for PSG, ripping opposition backlines apart with his frightening pace and dual-footed magic to power their attack through Ligue 1 and was the leader of the historic Back to Back Champions League crowning glory.

He carried that blistering form straight onto the international stage, acting as France’s main spark on the wing throughout their 2026 World Cup campaign. Off the back of another season where he was both lethal and completely unplayable, Dembélé has every right to back himself for a historic back to back also as Ballon d’Or Winner.

Achievements 2025-26:

Ligue 1: Champion
French Cup: Round of 32
Champions League: Champion
2026 World Cup: 4th Place

Michael Olise (France – Bayern Munich)

Olise put up downright frightening stats for Bayern Munich in 2025/26, racking up 15 goals and 19 assists in just 32 league games to deliver a domestic Double for the Bavarians.

He carried that electric form straight onto the global stage as well, acting as France’s chief creator and laying on goal after goal on their run to the World Cup semi-finals.

Racking up 34 goal contributions in a single league campaign while picking up silverwork makes his season one of the most destructive attacking campaigns anywhere in Europe.

Achievements 2025-26:

Bundesliga: Champion
German Cup: Champion
Champions League: Semi-Finalist
2026 World Cup: 4th Place

Jude Bellingham (England – Real Madrid)

Jude was the absolute heartbeat of Real Madrid’s midfield all through the 2025/26 campaign, constantly coming up trumps with match-winning goals and clutch assists when the heat was dialed right up in La Liga and Europe.

On top of that, he anchored England’s midfield all the way to the World Cup semi-finals with his two goals scored in the quarter-finals against Norway been his biggest contribution to Thomas Tuchel team.

Spanish LaLiga: Runner-up
Copa Del Rey: Round of 16
Champions League: Quarter-Finalist
2026 World Cup: 3rd Place

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia – PSG)

Kvaratskhelia enjoyed an absolute stormer of a campaign with PSG, smashing in 20 goals and laying on 15 assists across all competitions while tearing defenders to shreds in Europe, including a lethal three goal masterclass against Chelsea in the Champions League knockouts.

His match winning displays at club level have been tarnished by the absence of Georgia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Still, “Kvaradona” delivered the exact kind of dynamic individual brilliance and cold-hard results that make a player a genuine frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or.

Achievements 2025-26:

Ligue 1: Champion
French Cup: Round of 32
Champions League: Champion
2026 World Cup: Did not qualify

Fabian Ruiz (Spain – PSG)

Fabian Ruiz may not be the biggest name of this list, but he is the only one who collected the biggest prizes of the season: The Spanish midfielder has been crowned Champions League Champion with Paris Saint-Germain as well as World Champion with Spain, being nailed-on starter for both teams.

You simply can’t talk about the dominant teams on the planet this year without putting Fabián right at the heart of the conversation, making him a dead-cert candidate for the highest individual award in the game.

Achievements 2025-26:

Ligue 1: Champion
French Cup: Round of 32
Champions League: Champion
2026 World Cup: Champion

When and Where Is the Ballon d’Or Ceremony Taking Place?

The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony for 2026 will be kicking off on 26 October 2026.

The big night to crown the top player of the year is going down over in London.

They moved the venue in recent years to give a proper nod to the very first winner of the Ballon d’Or back in 1956, Sir Stanley Matthews.

The trophy is handed out by France Football magazine (working hand-in-hand with UEFA since 2024) to celebrate the best footballer of the year.

Ballon d’ Or Winners List

Multiple Ballon d’Or Winners

Clubs with Multiple Ballon d’Or Winners