It won't be long before the 2026 World Cup is done and dusted, and we'll have a much clearer idea about which three players will occupy first, second and third spots on the 2026 Ballon d'Or podium.
Will Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo make a shock return to football’s pedestal? In a World Cup year, almost anything is possible. Both players will become serious contenders if Argentina or Portugal lift the World Cup trophy on July 19.
Paris Saint-Germain will have several players in contention after winning this season's Champions League at the expense of Arsenal , who were crowned Premier League champions for the first time since 2004.
In the past, the prestigious individual accolade was based on the performance of footballers across a calendar year. However, this time around, for the fourth time in the award's history, the votes are based on the results of the season.
With that in mind, we've listed – and ranked – the 20 players who are best placed to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or based on their respective team's chances of success as well as their current form.
Ranking factors
We've determined the order based on the following:
Goals scored
Clean sheets (if defensive-minded)
Trophies won/challenged for (expected to)
Big moments in the 2025/26 season
General form
10 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Paris Saint-Germain & Georgia
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia never fails to dazzle supporters every single time he steps onto the pitch. The Georgian wizard is a master at 1 vs 1 situations, striking fear into opposition full-backs.
But he's not just a wonderful dribbler. Kvaratskhelia has over 25 goal contributions and played a massive role in PSG's second consecutive Champions League triumph, winning a penalty in the final. Unfortunately, he isn't at the World Cup this summer , which ultimately could prove pivotal in the race to win the Ballon d'Or.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for PSG in 2025/26
Ligue 1, Champions League
9 Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid & Brazil
Vinicius Junior may not have had his best season at Real Madrid, but the electric winger has burst into life for his country at the 2026 World Cup. Working under Carlo Ancelotti again, he netted four goals in the group stages, scoring in all three games.
It shows he truly is one of the best wingers in world football, as he managed 22 goals in all competitions and it has been considered a disappointment overall. But if he fires the Selecao to a sixth World Cup, that will all be forgotten and he'll move further up these rankings. Vini played the full 90 minutes as Brazil reached the last 16 with a 2-1 win over Japan.
Vinicius Jr for Real Madrid in 2025/26
8 Erling Haaland
Manchester City & Norway
By the standards Erling Haaland set in his first season at Manchester City, his follow-up campaigns may, on the face of it, have seemed a little underwhelming – that's even though he still claimed the Premier League Golden Boot in one of his next two terms. However, he came flying out of the blocks this season and looked set to enjoy another record-breaking campaign.
While Haaland was prolific during the first half of the season, the Norwegian struggled for goals around the turn of 2026 but is now firmly back in business now that we're in the final stretch.
Haaland was part of the Man City team that defeated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on March 22 and beat Chelsea to win the FA Cup final on May 16, assisting against the Blues. He also scored the winning goal against Arsenal on April 19 - but ultimately that goal didn't prove significant in the Premier League title race.
On his World Cup debut, Haaland netted two goals in Norway's 4-1 win over Iraq. He then scored two more goals on his second appearance against Senegal and also netted the winner in the Round of 32 against Ivory Coast. You wouldn't bet against him finishing the tournament with the Golden Boot award.
Erling Haaland for Man City in 2025/26
League Cup, FA Cup
7 Declan Rice
Arsenal & England
Is there a better all-action midfielder or set-piece maestro in world football right now? Real Madrid's Federico Valverde runs Declan Rice close, but the Arsenal and England star has had no equal over the course of the 2025-26 season. Nobody is questioning that £100 million transfer fee now, following his big-money transfer from West Ham in 2023.
Rice has now inspired Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2004. If he can help England go far at the 2026 World Cup finals, then it'll become a very realistic possibility that he'll be on the Ballon d'Or podium this year. There's a long way to go, of course, but right now he's right up there among the best midfielders on the planet – and has even had to fill in at right-back for the Three Lions, showing his versatility with Reece James injured.
Declan Rice for Arsenal in 2025/26
6 Michael Olise
Bayern Munich & France
Michael Olise has shot up the rankings in recent months due to his red-hot form for Bayern Munich. While his team came up short in the Champions League, the ex-Premier League winger will be playing for one of the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup in the summer – and he's already bagged a domestic double for Bayern.
If the 22-goal Frenchman can fire his country to major silverware, he'll undoubtedly be one of the most likely candidates to bring home the Golden Ball. His incredible 31 assists make him the best playmaker in Europe currently. Olise showcased his scintillating form on the eve of the World Cup with a sublime hat-trick for Les Bleus in an international friendly against Northern Ireland and there's every chance he'll shoot further up these rankings over the coming weeks, having picked up three assists in France's opening two World Cup matches against Senegal and Iraq.
Olise provided two more assists in the Round of 32 as France recorded a 3-0 victory over Sweden.
Michael Olise for Bayern Munich in 2025/26
Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal
5 Lamine Yamal
Barcelona & Spain
There has never been a teenage winner of the Ballon d'Or before. It's remarkable that Lamine Yamal still has another couple of years to achieve this feat. If he continues his incredible upward trajectory, all bets are off as to whether he can really do it. His current form, combined with his superstardom, makes him something of a shoo-in in years to come – but could he do it in 2026?
Since it was first awarded in 1956, the Ballon d'Or has been won by a number of legends, some of them really precocious.
Having already put one of the biggest clubs in Europe on his back since he was 15 and helped lead his country to a European Championship at 16, Yamal is clearly a fearless individual who embodies the phrase "if you're good enough, you're old enough."
Barcelona's Champions League exit may hinder his Ballon d'Or chances slightly, while he's now been ruled out for the rest of Barca's season with a hamstring injury, but he has ended the campaign with another La Liga title. Much will hinge on his performances with Spain at the 2026 World Cup - a tournament where he's already proven how much of a difference he can make with La Roja looking instantly better upon his return.
Lamine Yamal for Barcelona in 2025/26
4 Lionel Messi
Inter Miami & Argentina
Lionel Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, entered the top five for the first time this year after his stunning hat-trick in Argentina’s opening 2026 World Cup match against Algeria.
While the legendary South American, who turned 39 in June, has been in scintillating form for Inter Miami, many football fans were unsure whether the ageing forward could still produce the same level of world-class performances that he’s renowned for on the biggest stage this summer.
But Messi proved that he’s still one of the world’s very best players with another sensational individual performance. The greatest footballer in history will be a strong contender to win a ninth Ballon d’Or if Argentina go all the way again, especially after scoring six goals in his country's three group games at the World Cup before then finding the back of the net again in the narrow 3-2 Round of 32 win against Cape Verde.
Lionel Messi for Inter Miami in 2026
MLS Cup (Dec 2025)
3 Harry Kane
Bayern Munich & England
Harry Kane is modern football's answer to Wayne Rooney. Yes, he will absolutely score a minimum of 30 goals a season, but he'll also hit double figures in the assist rankings and spend about 30% of his time playing as a holding midfielder just to find that added space to work his magic.
The England captain became his nation's top goalscorer in 2023, as well as reaching second place in the all-time Premier League scoring charts after scoring an incredible 213 times for Tottenham. His move to Bayern Munich has been a roaring success to date, as he's managed to win back-to-back Bundesliga titles.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: In taking just 104 games to do so, Harry Kane became the fastest player this century to reach 100 goals for a club playing in one of Europe's top five leagues.
In 51 games for Bayern during the 2025/26 season, he found the back of the net an astonishing 61 times while chalking up seven further assists for teammates. With the Bundesliga title already secured – and a hat-trick bagged in the DFB-Pokal – if he can back that up with a World Cup triumph, there's a strong chance he'll become England's first Ballon d'Or recipient since Michael Owen's win in 2001.
Kane got his 2026 World Cup campaign off to the perfect start by scoring a brace in England's opening match against Croatia before adding another against Panama. In the last 32, he notched a brace to inspire his side to a comeback victory against DR Congo. Another World Cup Golden Boot would certainly enhance his chances of securing the Ballon d'Or for the first time.
Harry Kane for Bayern Munich in 2025/26
Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal
2 Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid & France
It feels inevitable that at some point in his career, Kylian Mbappe will stand on top of the podium, lifting the famous golden ball. The French forward has been touted as a future successor to Messi and Ronaldo – but now in his mid-20s, he's edging closer to cementing his status as the world's best footballer with an absurd amount of goals to his name season-on-season.
Mbappe, who scored 256 times for Paris Saint-Germain across 305 appearances, took a few months to get going at Real Madrid after joining last summer. But after having won the European Golden Shoe last term with 31 goals in 34 La Liga games, and having now managed to notch 42 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions this term, the Frenchman is blitzing his way to being the crème de la crème.
Real Madrid have endured a rare trophyless season, but Mbappe could become the frontrunner if France win the World Cup this summer. He got off to a stunning start, scoring twice in his team's 3-1 opening group game win over Senegal, which made him France's all-time top goalscorer (on 59 goals, now ahead of Olivier Giroud). He then netted another brace in a 3-0 win over Iraq and recorded two assists in their 4-1 victory vs Norway.
Mbappe scored his 17th and 18th World Cup goals with a sublime performance in the Round of 32 against Sweden. His former PSG teammate Messi could well be his strongest contender for both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards.
Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid in 2025/26
1 Ousmane Dembele
Paris Saint-Germain & France
Will Ousmane Dembele become the first player to retain the Ballon d'Or since Lionel Messi in 2021? The French superstar missed a large chunk of the first half of the 2025-26 campaign through injury but has looked back to his brilliant best in recent months.
His outrageous chip against Lille became an early contender for the 2026 Puskas Award. He then scored two goals - including another special solo effort - in PSG's emphatic 5-0 win over Marseille in February, catapulting himself into the top 10 of GiveMeSport's Ballon d'Or Power Rankings in the process. His chances of winning the trophy again increased dramatically as PSG retained their Champions League title. The Frenchman made history as he became the first-ever player to score in every round of the competition in his side's triumph.
However, whether he wins the Ballon d'Or again may depend on him taking centre stage over Mbappe at the World Cup. Both players hit the back of the net four times in the group stages, with Dembele netting a superb first-half hat-trick in a 4-1 rout of Norway.
Ousmane Dembele for PSG in 2025/26
Ligue 1, Champions League
Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: Full Top 20
Ballon d'Or Power Rankings
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All statistics in this article are via Transfermarkt - correct as of 02/07/2026.
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