Ballon d'Or rankings 2026: Top candidates, potential award winners with Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal favourites

10) Vitinha (CM, Paris Saint-Germain)

At his very best, Vitinha is undoubtedly one of the three finest midfielders in the world. The 26-year-old's performances down the stretch of the 2024/25 season saw him rocket up the Ballon d'Or list, where he finished an impressive third.

Vitinha is astonishingly press-resistant in possession and can pass as well as anyone around the world, able to unlock opponents anywhere on the pitch. He can also snipe a goal from long range, as he has shown consistently on the European stage this season.

The problem for Vitinha this season, as well as any PSG player, has been their inconsistency in league play. While the Parisians have remained a force in Europe looking to defend their Champions League crown, they have looked vulnerable in Ligue 1 action, barely clinging to a one-point lead atop the table as Luis Enrique has tried to battle fixture congestion with heavy rotation in domestic matches.

Unless Vitinha either stars for PSG down the stretch on both fronts, leads the club to another European title, or helms a deep run for Portugal at the World Cup this summer, his candidacy for this award will likely dip from its top-three place at last year's gala.

Vitinha stats 2025/26

9) Erling Haaland (CF, Man City)

There is always a place for the Premier League top goal scorer on this list, as the player with the most goals in the most visible — and deepest — league in the world is always a top-performing individual.

Yet Erling Haaland's candidacy for the 2026 Ballon d'Or is on life support. While the Norwegian began the season on fire, scoring 14 goals in his first 11 Premier League matches, the output has fallen off a cliff, particularly since the start of the 2026 calendar year. He has scored just three goals from open play in all competitions since the start of January, a minuscule tally by any striker's standards, and certainly his own.

While his season-long numbers leave him in contention for now, Man City's early exit from the Champions League has left Haaland with very little opportunity to recover his standing. He will need a furious finish to the Premier League season, plus a strong performance at the World Cup with Norway, to have any chance.

MORE:A look at the top goal scorers in the 2025/26 Champions League tournament

Erling Haaland stats 2025/26

8) Vinicius Jr. (LW, Real Madrid)

After the tantrum Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid threw prior to the 2025 Ballon d'Or award ceremony, unhappy with his failure to capture the famous trophy, his performances last season plummeted. With Kylian Mbappe leading the charge at Madrid, Vinicius has taken a backseat to the Frenchman's high-flying production in front of goal.

Yet all is not lost for Vinicius at the Santiago Bernabeu. An injury to Mbappe through February allowed Vini to retake ownership of Los Blancos, and he excelled in that role with Alvaro Arbeloa in charge. The Brazilian scored in three of his side's first four Champions League knockout matches with Mbappe out due to injury, also scoring six goals in league play since the start of February after bagging just five prior to that including a brutal 13-match goalless run.

Yet with Mbappe back in action, Vini faltered again. He was unable to net in either leg against Bayern Munich as Real Madrid went out of the competition. Yet there's one stage he can truly make a claim to the Ballon d'Or: the 2026 World Cup. If Vini leads Brazil deep into the tournament, and perhaps even returns the Selecao to their former glory, he would rocket up this list in a heartbeat. Stay tuned, for his past international performances have done nothing to indicate he's capable of such a role, but crazier things have happened.

Vinicius Jr. stats 2025/26

7) Gabriel Magalhaes (CB, Arsenal)

Regardless of your thoughts on how Arsenal have gone about pushing for trophies this season, there is no denying that Gabriel Magalhaes is at the heart of this season's biggest tactical innovation and narrative.

As Mikel Arteta changes the way top teams view set-pieces as an asset, Gabriel is at the core of his entire tactical approach to the 2025/26 season. Not only is Gabriel the main target on all of Arsenal's dead-ball plays, but he also remains the keystone to Arsenal's defensive setup, which has led the way in their push for titles on multiple fronts.

Simply put, Arsenal have the best defence in all of Europe and the world. It may not be exciting to watch, but Arteta has — as any coach would — put the most weight on the shoulders of his best players: Gabriel and his centre-back partner William Saliba. No defender in the entire world is relied upon more than these two, and they have consistently performed at such a level, in every possible manner: passing, tackling, positioning, transition defending, and even putting their bodies on the line in front of goal.

Add in Gabriel's attacking threat on set-pieces, and he is en route to compiling one of the greatest centre-back club seasons this generation has seen, should the Gunners finish the deal. Anyone without the Brazilian on their Ballon d'Or list this season is simply chasing goals and assists without looking at the whole picture. Yet for him to even have a shot at rising further up the list, he must lead the Selecao back to World Cup glory, which feels like a longshot at this point.

Gabriel stats 2025/26

6) Pedri (CM, Barcelona)

Widely considered the best midfielder in the world — or at the very least top three — Pedri has been at the heart of Barcelona's youthful generation. The 23-year-old has been a star performer in the middle of the pitch, especially when it comes to breaking down opponents, with his passing range considered top among his peers.

Yet it's not just sensational vision with the ball at his feet that makes Pedri such a delightful and productive player. He can also dazzle on the ball himself, dancing past opponents in midfield before picking out teammates in the final third.

This day and age, it's exceedingly hard for a midfielder without a hefty goals or assists total to win the Ballon d'Or, but not impossible. Unfortunately for Pedri, either a World Cup title or a Champions League crown would do him little in this regard, given Lamine Yamal is his teammate on both fronts and would likely gain most of the plaudits in either scenario.

As such, his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or are slim to none, especially with Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals, but his presence near the top of the voting chart would be well deserved.

Pedri stats 2025/26

5) Kylian Mbappe (CF, Real Madrid)

Kylian Mbappe has been the world's best forward for a number of years now, and sooner or later it should translate into a Ballon d'Or. Yet to this point, the French superstar has been unable to secure such a trophy. So far, Mbappe has not managed to compile a complete season-long resume, one with both individual stardom and team success.

At the close of March, that all seemed like it was still in front of him. Back from injury, Mbappe was chasing Cristiano Ronaldo's single-season Champions League goal-scoring record, all while leading the La Liga scoring charts as Real Madrid went back-and-forth with Barcelona atop the standings. Considering France are one of the top contenders for the World Cup later this summer, it was all on the table for Mbappe.

Then, it all came crashing down in April. First, Madrid slipped quickly out of the La Liga title race as Barcelona took command, and then both Spanish giants were eliminated from the Champions League in the quarterfinals. Regardless of the numbers he puts up at the end of the club season, a Ballon d'Or is out of the question for Mbappe unless he leads France to another World Cup title, which could reinvigorate his candidacy unless one of his fellow international teammates shines while pairing a few club trophies with an international one.

Kylian Mbappe stats 2025/26

4) Declan Rice (CM, Arsenal)

While criticism runs amok for how Arsenal have played throughout this season, there is one player who has remained largely immune to the larger tactical narrative: Declan Rice.

Back in January, the superstar midfielder became the fifth-youngest player to reach 300 Premier League appearances, and consistency is the name of his game. Rice has excelled at everything a No. 8 is asked to do — which is a lot. He is near the top of the Premier League in accurate passes (98th percentile for central midfielders), final-third passes (97th), shot assists (99th), crossing accuracy (97th), long balls (96th), tackles (88th), interceptions (90th), ball recoveries (96th), clearances (97th), blocks (91st), aerial duels (92nd), and shots (85th). What more do you want?

Being a midfielder who doesn't rely solely on statistical production for global accolades, a possible Ballon d'Or win for Rice almost certainly starts and ends with England winning a World Cup this summer. Making that difficult for the Arsenal midfielder is the fact he plays on the same team as Harry Kane, who has positioned himself even closer to the top of this list and would likely benefit most from a similar outcome this season, rendering Rice's candidacy moot. Thus, Rice probably also needs Arsenal to close out the Premier League title or win the Champions League crown to have a realistic shot at winning this award over his international teammate.

Even if Rice is unlikely to win, he should finish amongst the top vote-getters regardless for his exceptional season.

Declan Rice stats 2025/26

3) Lamine Yamal (RW, Barcelona)

At present, nobody's star power is greater than 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, who has the world of football at his feet.

While he does not yet produce the kind of flashy goal-scoring numbers that either Mbappe or Kane are logging, that has not mattered. Despite putting up just 18 goals and 25 assists in the 2024/25 season, numbers well behind the others in contention — including his teammate Raphinha — he finished second in the voting as the world was captivated by his story.

His star continues to shine brighter this season, as he is on pace to eclipse last year's numbers all while leading Barcelona to new heights. The Blaugrana sit atop the La Liga table and were well in contention for the Champions League title... until suddenly the European campaign went belly-up against Atletico Madrid.

Lamine was in firm control of the Ballon d'Or race early on, but with Barcelona now out of the Champions League earlier than expected, his candidacy now fully relies on Spain's performance in the United States at the World Cup. He may need to win the FIFA title, or at least win the Golden Ball in a losing performance, to have a shot.

MORE:Lamine Yamal is the most "next Messi" player we've ever seen

Lamine Yamal stats 2025/26

2) Michael Olise (RW, Bayern Munich)

After being under-appreciated throughout a stellar first season with Bayern Munich, Michael Olise has finally become a talking point across the European narrative in the 2025/26 season.

Nobody in Europe has been more explosive creating chances in the attacking third for teammates, as he leads the continent in assists across all competitions throughout the top five leagues while also scoring a healthy amount of his own. Olise is third in expected assists in the Champions League behind Mohamed Salah (!!) and Julian Alvarez, and he has the second-most carries that end with a shot of anyone as well. Domestically, Olise is just one assist behind Thomas Muller's Bundesliga record of 21 in a single campaign and has plenty of time to eclipse that.

For Olise to win the Ballon d'Or (and Kane as well), he likely needs to help Bayern Munich to a Champions League title; it's the only way to validate the bloated Bundesliga numbers, which are always taken with a grain of salt given the league's propensity to favour attacking play. A leading role in a World Cup run with France could then put him over the top and set him apart from teammate Kane.

Olise finally got the worldwide attention he deserved with a starring role across the two Champions League quarterfinal legs against Real Madrid, and now he is in firm control of his own destiny.

Michael Olise stats 2025/26

1) Harry Kane (CF, Bayern Munich)

Now 32 years old, Kane has flourished at Bayern Munich. He finally broke his trophy drought last season by winning the Bundesliga title and has somehow managed to hit an even higher gear in 2025/26.

Bayern have pummeled the competition this season, winning 22 of their first 27 league games, with Kane scoring 31 goals so far. At this current pace, he could threaten Robert Lewandowski's single-season Bundesliga record of 41 goals, set in 2020/21, the season many believe the Polish star should have won the Ballon d'Or had it not been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, he is leading a Bayern attack that has shattered the single-season Bundesliga goal-scoring record, breaking the previous mark of 100 with seven matches still to be played.

Yet for Kane, everything will come down to the Champions League and the World Cup. Given that Bundesliga performances rarely sway voters much given the league's reputation as attacking-rich, he will likely need one — maybe both — of those titles to make a serious case for the award. Kane must prove that his goal-scoring flurry will translate to either the European stage or the international stage if he is to finally lift this individual trophy. Dembele managed it last year, able to couple his exceptional Ligue 1 haul with a Champions League title, so is it Kane's turn next?

Right now, with Bayern through to the Champions League semifinals and Barcelona out, Kane is the leader in the clubhouse for the award, but there's still much of the season to be played.

Harry Kane stats 2025/26

Other players in the Ballon d'Or mix

While the above individuals make up the 10 most deserving players as the season currently stands, there are still a number who could potentially make a run at the award or finish high on the list of deserving contenders.

Last year's winner Ousmane Dembele is a notable absentee from this list, as he has not been able to match his winning form of last season as he shares more of the attacking load with fellow PSG stars like Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But do not count the French forward out, as he used a strong second half last time around to propel his candidacy forward, and a big World Cup could vault him up the rankings.

It remains difficult for defenders to not only crack this list but be considered for the award itself, but there are a few others besides Gabriel who are having world-class seasons and deserve mentioning. Achraf Hakimi is still the best full-back in the world, while Gabriel's Arsenal partner William Saliba is also a top contender for mention.

Federico Valverde is arguably the most underrated player of this generation and has kept Real Madrid from coming apart at the seams on various occasions this season, scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League against Manchester City.

While Raphinhawas massively disrespected at the 2025 Ballon d'Or awards, he has regressed somewhat this season with Lamine Yamal's star power consuming the Barcelona front line, but he remains a top attacker in the world and, like Dembele, a big summer with Brazil could lift his candidacy.