You need to know which players are leading in the Ballon d’Or 2026 Power Rankings – from Harry Kane or Ousmane Dembélé or Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe or Lamine Yamal’s and more top footballers in the league.
Ousmane Dembélé is the early favorite for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, thanks to his 2025 Ballon d’Or win and Champions League dominance. However, the 2026 World Cup in June – July 2026 is expected to play a huge role in determining the final standings.
Significant shifts are likely after the 2026 World Cup knockout stages and the conclusion of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League season used by France Football.
How the Ballon d’Or 2026 Power Rankings race will be judged
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Since 2022, the Ballon d’Or has been awarded based on a season rather than the calendar year, with voters focusing on individual performance, team achievements, and sportsmanship instead of career legacy.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or award will therefore weigh the full 2025–26 club campaign plus the World Cup (June 11–July 19, 2026), which lands inside that seasonal window and historically swings voting.
The 2025 ceremony confirmed the format and timeline shift by honoring performances from August 2024–July 2025, reinforcing that the World Cup’s timing should heavily influence the 2026 ballot.
Top 10 power rankings (pre-World Cup)
1. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
Barcelona’s generational teenage talent and back-to-back Kopa Trophy winner, aiming for multiple Ballon d’Or titles after finishing second in 2025. The 2025 runner-up and Kopa Trophy winner has a clear path to surge if Spain’s core peaks in June–July 2026.
2. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid/France)
Real Madrid’s record-breaking forward with 42 goals in his debut season, already hitting top form with 12 goals in 10 games this campaign. Seventh in 2025, but a World Cup run plus decisive Champions League moments would vault him back toward the summit.
4. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)
The prolific England captain has been in sensational form for Bayern Munich, continuing his record-breaking goal-scoring streak in the Bundesliga. After a stellar debut season in Germany, Kane remains a strong contender, especially if he leads England to success at the 2026 World Cup while maintaining his elite club form.
3. Ousmane Dembélé (PSG/France)
The reigning 2025 Ballon d’Or winner after leading PSG to their first-ever Champions League title in a historic treble-winning season. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner after a UCL-winning, 37G/15A season, enters 2026 as the clubhouse leader with France poised to contend in North America.
4. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid/Brazil)
The 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up who contributed 22 goals and 19 assists last season, looking to reclaim his spot among football’s elite.
5. Cole Palmer (Chelsea/England)
Chelsea’s rising star who could become England’s first Ballon d’Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001, especially with strong World Cup 2026 performances. Eighth in 2025; an England run to the latter stages and decisive UCL nights would supercharge his case.
6. Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway)
The Norwegian goal machine with 34 goals last season and nine already this campaign, potentially boosted by Norway’s possible first World Cup since 1998. Monster club numbers keep him relevant, but a lack of World Cup spotlight would require overwhelming UCL dominance to compensate.
7. Raphinha (Barcelona/Brazil)
Fifth in 2025; Brazil’s tournament pedigree makes him a genuine riser if end-product spikes on the biggest stage.
8. Vitinha (PSG/Portugal)
Third in 2025 after an elite two-way season; Portugal’s depth offers a high-variance World Cup ceiling.
9. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/Egypt)
Fourth in 2025 on club output; staying in the mix will hinge on deep European runs with Liverpool and Egypt’s summer fortunes.
10. Nuno Mendes (PSG/Portugal)
Tenth in 2025; world-class two-way metrics and a deep Portugal campaign could transform him from top-10 to podium threat.
Biggest swing factors
- World Cup 2026: With 48 teams across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, World Cup knockout heroics will dwarf most club narratives in the final voting calculus.
- Champions League 2026: France Football’s criteria still reward individual impact plus major trophies, so UCL semifinals/final performances remain critical tie-breakers before ballots are cast.
On the watchlist
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England): A Champions League push plus an England run in the U.S. could replicate the historical club-plus-country formula voters prefer.
- Achraf Hakimi (PSG/Morocco): Sixth in 2025 and a big-game full-back who changes knockout ties; Morocco’s track record keeps his outside shot alive.
- Rodri (Manchester City/Spain): The most complete midfielder case can crest if City lift major silverware and Spain deliver in June–July.
Why Dembélé starts No. 1
The reigning winner status matters because it reflects the most recent full-season consensus of 100 global journalists, and he carried decisive value in Europe’s top competition.
Given the season-based framework, anyone hoping to dethrone him likely needs either a Champions League-winning campaign with signature moments or a World Cup title run with match-defining contributions.
Methodology note
These power rankings weight the confirmed 2025 Ballon d’Or order, France Football’s season-based criteria, and the outsized impact of World Cup 2026 on the 2025–26 evaluation window.
As always with the Ballon d’Or, late-season form and knockout-stage storylines can trigger major swings in the final month before voting closes.
