2026 Ballon d’Or: Top 5 favourites ahead of shortlist

The organisers of the Ballon d’Or are preparing to unveil their official 30-man shortlist for the 2026 edition of the award.

Ahead of the unveiling, there is already a debate over the players who will be selected.

The 2025/26 season was rounded off by the World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the USA.

This means it could be one of the most tightly contested voting races in history.

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The jury of the top 100 FIFA-ranked international journalists will weigh extraordinary individual performances against silverware-laden team achievements.

Here is how the top five favourites rank ahead of the shortlist announcement:

5. Lionel Messi: Messi’s place among the contenders shows just how much weight is placed on the World Cup. The 39-year-old’s domestic performances in MLS alone would not put him in this conversation. The Argentina captain scored eight times at the tournament, as they eventually lost to Spain in the final.

4. Kylian Mbappé: At 27, Mbappé is yet to take a Ballon d’Or plaque home, despite consistently impressive performances for nearly a decade. This time around, his chances are quite high, as he won the Golden Boot at the World Cup. The Frenchman is now the all-time top scorer in the tournament’s history. He also scored 42 goals in 44 appearances for Real Madrid, although they did not win any major silverware.

3. Lamine Yamal: The 19-year-old looks like a footballer who could win a few Ballon d’Or awards in his career. The Barcelona and Spain winger might claim his first this year. He made history by becoming the youngest player to feature in and win both a European Championship and a World Cup final. Yamal also racked up 24 goals and 18 assists to help Barcelona claim another LaLiga title.

2. Harry Kane: Harry Kane enters the voting process as a leading contender, thanks to his 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich, firing the club to a domestic league and cup double while picking up the European Golden Shoe. Although England did not lift the trophy in North America, Kane still contributed six goals during their run to a historic third-place finish.

1. Rodri: The Ballon d’Or jury has historically rewarded players who dominate the sport’s biggest stage, and Rodri did precisely that. Operating at the heart of Spain’s midfield, he served as the defensive anchor and primary metronome for the World Cup champions. This earned him the World Cup Golden Ball ahead of top scorers such as Mbappé and Messi.