The 2026 edition of the prestigious Ballon d’Or award will be presented to the best player of the 2025-26 season on Monday (October 26). Unlike in previous editions, there are multiple favourites to win the top prize this year, and it will be interesting to see which of them manages to lift the trophy. Ahead of the ceremony in Paris, here’s a look at the seven favourites to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Kylian Mbappe is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or in 2026. The French forward finished as the highest goal-scorer in La Liga as well as the UEFA Champions League last season but was not able to win even one trophy with Real Madrid. (Picture Credit: AP)
At the FIFA World Cup, Mbappe scored 10 goals in addition to providing 4 assists in eight matches for France. He won the Golden Boot, but France finished fourth in the 48-team tournament. (Picture Credit: AP)
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal finished second in the Ballon d’Or race last year, and in 2026, he is one of the top contenders. In the 2025-26 edition of La Liga, Yamal scored 16 goals in 28 matches and also scored 6 times in 10 Champions League matches. (Picture Credit: AP)
At the FIFA World Cup 2026, Yamal won the title with Spain and also scored one goal in their match against Saudi Arabia. (Picture Credit: AP)
England captain Harry Kane played a big role in his team’s third-place finish at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The star striker scored six goals in the tournament this year and also provided one assist. (Picture Credit: AP)
At club level, Kane scored 61 goals in 51 matches across all competitions for Bayern Munich and won the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup. (Picture Credit: AP)
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is also in the Ballon d’Or 2026 race. The 39-year-old scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists in eight matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 for Argentina and led them to the final of the tournament. (Picture Credit: AP)
He has scored 72 goals in 81 matches for Inter Miami across all competitions since the start of 2025 and won the Campeones Cup. (Picture Credit: AP)
Jude Bellingham impressed with his performances at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and finished as the highest goal-scorer for England. He played all eight matches and scored 7 goals in addition to providing one assist. He also represented Real Madrid in La Liga and the Champions League but was not able to win even one trophy. (Picture Credit: AP)
Erling Haaland made his FIFA World Cup debut in 2026 and scored 7 goals to help Norway qualify for the quarter-finals. In this year’s FIFA World Cup, Haaland scored a brace to knock five-time champions Brazil out of the tournament. (Picture Credit: AP)
At club level, he finished as the highest goal-scorer in the Premier League and scored 38 goals in 52 matches for Manchester City across all competitions. Last season, Haaland won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. (Picture Credit: AP)
The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele, is in the race for the top prize this year as well after impressive performances at the FIFA World Cup. Dembele scored 6 goals and provided two assists for Les Bleus in this year’s tournament. (Picture Credit: AP)
With PSG, Dembele won Ligue 1, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup in the 2025-26 season and was also named Ligue 1 Player of the Year. (Picture Credit: AP)
