Ballon d'Or power rankings for 2026: Following the World Cup, who is in the lead?

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The world's top players made big statements at the 2026 World Cup, and now the Ballon d'Or race is

nearing its conclusion.

Before Kylian Mbappe overtook him, eight-time winner Lionel Messi shown that, at 39, he could still force himself into the conversation. Messi scored eight goals to lead Argentina to the final and briefly hold the title of the competition's all-time best scorers.

Nonetheless, Spain's victory over Argentina in the championship game will undoubtedly help players like 2024 winner Rodri and Lamine Yamal in their quest for the individual award. They will aim to begin the new club season with some captivating performances to complement their contribution to winning football's most coveted trophy.

HARRY KANE Before this summer, Harry Kane was the front-runner for the Ballon d'Or due to his incredible goal-scoring season with Bayern Munich. Will he be able to duplicate that unmatched form in the first few months of 2026–2027 so that team accomplishments won't matter at the ceremony in October?

10. VINICIUS

Vinicius makes it into our Ballon d'Or power rankings, primarily to avoid receiving irate letters from people connected to Real Madrid, Brazil, and possibly now Arsenal. I kind of joke.

The 2024 runner-up scored 22 goals in 36 games during another stellar season at the Bernabeu, but like Mbappe, he was unable to lead the team to a trophy.

In a similar vein, he was one of the few bright spots on Carlo Ancelotti's wooden Brazil team during the World Cup, which ultimately fell to Haaland and company.

Could he revive his Ballon d'Or bid with a move to the Emirates?

9. OLISE

There was a limit to how long Crystal Palace could keep him in Croydon. 

Olise has established himself as one of the top attackers in the world with Bayern Munich and France. The German powerhouses are making every effort to fend off interest from teams like Real Madrid, who undoubtedly noticed the World Cup partnership he formed with Mbappe and want to reunite the two in the Spanish capital.

Will he be able to win the Ballon d'Or with his thrilling performances? Most likely not this year. However, the fact that he is speaking is a statement in and of itself.

8. JUDE BELLINGHAM

How could there have been any doubt about this man's seat on the England plane? By leading the Three Lions to the elusive World Cup bronze, Bellingham, Thomas Tuchel's player of the tournament, gave his detractors a hearty helping of humble pie.

Bellingham is on our list because of the lovely redemptive arc alone. This is due to the lackluster season that preceding the World Cup. He only contributed 13 goals for Real Madrid during another trophyless season due to injuries.

His prospects of winning the Ballon d'Or remain poor in comparison to the competition because of this. Don't discount him, though, as demonstrated in North America.

7. ERLING HAALAND

He made us all perform the row.

Haaland made sure Norway lived up to their reputation as a dark horse by leading them to the round of eight in their first World Cup since 1998. His relentless goal-scoring exploits humiliated Brazil along the way, sending the five-time champions reeling. It should come as no surprise that Haaland was the tournament's best player away from the big-hitting countries.

In addition, Haaland had a somewhat mediocre season for City, scoring just 38 goals last year—the fourth time he has scored 30 or more at the Etihad—and winning a domestic double. For almost everyone else, it's legacy-defining statistics, but for the large Norwegian, it's standard service.

Despite his prodigious output, he is currently a clear outsider in the Ballon d'Or competition. If he starts the season like he did last year, smacking home 13 in his first ten league games—that might change. Recency bias has the potential to be quite potent.

6. OUSMANE DEMBELE

Dembele would have been a strong favorite to win a second consecutive Ballon d'Or if France had won the World Cup, as many had predicted before that boring semi-final collapse. The combination of medals from the Champions League and the World Cup is a bit of a cheat code.

For a player who, let's face it, was France's fourth-best attacker at the World Cup, it would have been quite the gimme. Even though he finished the season as Paris Saint-Germain's top scorer and won both the Ligue 1 and Champions League, he only managed to score around half as many goals as he did the previous year.

Although he still has enough trophies to be firmly among the top 10 contenders, he only has a slim chance of winning the World Cup again after failing to do so, and we believe that's fair.

I'm sorry, Ousmane, but you shouldn't be here this year.

5. LIONEL MESSI

He couldn't, could he? Messi's position on this list perfectly captures the importance of the World Cup in selecting the Ballon d'Or winner—after all, he won't accept the award for his MLS achievements, will he? Fair play to the eight-time champion, though, as he demonstrated that he still had it at the age of 39.

Messi's eight goals helped Argentina get to the World Cup final, but they were soundly defeated by Spain. He would likely rank in the top two of this list if he had won back-to-back championships. After all, he won the 2023 prize following La Albiceleste's victory ten months prior, when he had already signed with Inter Miami.

He was named player of the tournament by Indy Sport writers despite receiving a runner-up medal. You can't really write the Argentinian out because of this and the jury's long-standing affection for him.

4.KYLIAN MBAPPE

Given that Mbappe has been at the top of the game for what seems like an eternity, it seems absurd that, at 27, he still lacks a Ballon d'Or.

This time, he's definitely in the running. With his ten goals in North America, he surpassed both Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi as the tournament's all-time record goalscorer, and his Golden Boot at the World Cup will do the majority of the heavy lifting. He and Messi would have been let down if they hadn't received the Golden Ball.

But let's not forget that he didn't exactly see a decline in performance despite the animosity surrounding his Real Madrid club season. Despite being harassed at the Bernabeu, he scored 42 goals in 44 games. Although it wasn't enough to save Los Blancos from winning another trophy, you can't discount his performance.

He could rise to the top of these rankings if he can get along with Jose Mourinho and have a successful 2026–2027 season.

3. LAMINE YAMAL

We sort of return to the World Cup superiority complex. Yamal will undoubtedly win a number of Ballon d'Ors over his career, but the 19-year-old has a good chance of winning his first this year, surpassing his 2025 runner-up result.

Yamal won both the European Championship final and the World Cup final, making him the first player under 20 to do so. Despite having a very low output by his norms, he played a significant role for Spain throughout the competition, even though he entered it with a hamstring injury.

In another La Liga-winning season, he scored 24 goals and provided 18 assists for Barcelona in all competitions, making it anything but a mediocre year for the adolescent. He's more than willing to shout.

2. HARRY KANE

Despite failing to ignite the World Cup like he did the Bundesliga in 2025–2026, England captain Kane is still the clear favorite to win the Ballon d'Or. That demonstrates how productive he was throughout the previous tenure.

As he led Bayern to the league and cup double, Kane scored 61 goals in 51 games across all competitions, becoming him the best goalscorer in Europe. He has added hardware to his already impressive individual stats. Then, he was hardly unimportant at the World Cup, scoring six goals as England achieved their highest World Cup result since 1966, including a vital late brace against DR Congo to spare his nation severe humiliation.

The jury might have to set aside their focus on the World Cup and overall team success if his club performance carries over into the upcoming season.

1. RODRI

The importance of the World Cup to the Ballon d'Or jury is indisputable, even if you don't like it. Ask Luka Modric.

At the center of Spain's midfield, Rodri had an incredible World Cup, protecting their formidable defense while serving as the metronome that propelled play forward. He won the Golden Ball ahead of top scorers Messi and Mbappe thanks to his influence, and we believe that this could be a sign that he could win a second Ballon d'Or in October.

Given that he didn't have the best domestic season, that would seem like a bit of an injustice. It took him some time to settle in after returning from injury with Manchester City during a season in which Pep Guardiola's team won the League Cup and FA Cup but failed to win the Premier League. However, the World Cup is the World Cup, and regardless of your opinion on the significance of team accomplishments in an individual award, the truth is that it does matter a great deal.

His chances of winning a second championship in three years may depend on how well he recovers from minor back surgery and whether or not he moves to Real Madrid. The limelight might tip the scales in his favor if he maintains his World Cup form and ignites a spectacular start to the season at the Santiago Bernabeu.