World Cup 2026 Golden Ball Power Rankings: Kylian Mbappe & Lionel Messi leading the way but Jude Bellingham & Harry Kane still in the hunt

It's fair to say that Yamal has not lived up to expectations at this World Cup. But that is only because they were completely unrealistic. The Barcelona wonderkid only turned 19 this week, and he entered the tournament still carrying an injury that cut short his club season.

The fact that he is seen as an undisputed talisman for both club and country is testament to how much he has achieved at such a young age. Yamal is perhaps the greatest teenager to ever play the game, with three La Liga titles, one European Championship winners' medal and a Ballon d'Or runner up nod already under his belt, and although he has had to gradually find his rhythm this summer, Spain have still been able to rely on his magic to open opponents up.

Yamal dazzled on matchday two as Spain routed Saudi Arabia 4-0, scoring the opener and tying defenders in knots every time he got on the ball. He failed to score in any of Spain's next four games, but his influence in the final third has not wavered, and he was particularly impressive in their quarter-final win over Belgium, recording 80 touches, four successful dribbles, six shots and nine ground duel wins.

Bayern Munich can count themselves lucky they had already wrapped up a €50m agreement to sign Ismael Saibari from PSV before the World Cup began. The Morocco international surely added a few million euros to his true value with his starring role in each match.

It was the 25-year-old who charged towards goal before blasting beyond Alisson to open the scoring against Brazil; it was he who devastated Scotland just two minutes in to ensure Morocco progressed from their group; it was he who pulled them level for the second time and on course for a win against Haiti; and it was he who fired home the decisive penalty as they knocked out the Netherlands in the round of 16 after all hope had seemed lost.

Saibari was ultimately powerless to prevent Morocco crashing out at the hands of France in the last eight, but he left a lasting mark on the tournament with his technical flair and athleticism.

Mikel Oyarzabal has been the unlikely hero for Spain at the 2026 World Cup, leading their charge for glory with four goals in his first six appearances. The Real Sociedad ace has been excellent at timing his runs into the box and his clinical finishing was especially vital in the round of 32, as he found the net twice in a 3-0 win against Austria.

To some outsiders, Oyarzabal's form on the global stage has come as something of a surprise, but not to Spain and La Liga fans. He bagged six goals for La Roja in World Cup qualifying, and hit 15 in 34 top flight appearances for Real Sociedad last season, which has earned him links with Barcelona.

Oyarzabal did not get on the scoresheet in Spain's knockout wins over Portugal or Belgium, but he continued to be a constant threat, and has emerged as Luis de la Fuente's most dangerous weapon after Yamal.

Ousmane Dembele’s exploits in back-to-back Champions League triumphs for Paris Saint-Germain have made him a Ballon d’Or winner. He also helped France to global glory in 2018. It is in 2026, however, that he is truly illuminating the grandest of international stages.

Having never previously found the target at FIFA’s flagship event, the versatile PSG forward opened his account in a 3-0 victory over Iraq. He then landed himself the match ball in a meeting with Norway as a first-half hat-trick sent Les Bleus surging into the last-32, where he set up Mbappe for his first goal against Sweden.

Dembele was a lively figure as his side pressed to beat Paraguay, finding space in the box throughout the game, and went on to be the difference maker again in the quarter-finals. The former Barcelona man scored a superb solo goal to round off France's 2-0 win over Morocco, running from near the centre-circle before placing a precise shot into the far corner.

Erling Haaland had an astounding debut World Cup. The pinnacle was his stunning intervention as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 to pull off a stunning round of 16 upset. The powerful striker picked his moment perfectly as he rose to head in the opener late in the second half before carving a chance out of nowhere, drilling into the bottom corner to render Neymar's last-gasp penalty irrelevant.

In truth, Haaland was fantastic from the beginning of the tournament. He had his name on the scoresheet within 30 minutes of his side's opener against Iraq and then popped up to restore their lead just before half-time in a tough battle against the Middle Eastern nation.

Norway went on to win 4-1, with the Manchester City forward taking home the Man of the Match award, and his eye for goal was on display again as he scored twice in a 3-2 win against Senegal. He popped up again with the vital winner as Norway beat Ivory Coast 2-1 to survive the round of 32 and while they were eventually ousted by England in the last eight, Haaland did more than enough overall to put himself in the Golden Ball conversation.

Kane may have got the lion's share of the goals in Bayern Munich's blistering campaign, but it was Michael Olise who captured the hearts of many fans. The Bundesliga player of the year's electrifying pace, immense control and fantastic finishing ability saw him net 20 goals and register 25 assists across the German top-flight and Champions League, where Bayern reached the semi-finals.

A similar dynamic is at play in the France squad, with Mbappe being heralded for his goals but Olise earning plaudits for his stunning work around the box. His pinpoint pass set up Mbappe to open the scoring against Senegal in the first game, and his excellent use of the ball saw him named FIFA's Player of the Match in the 3-1 win.

The former Crystal Palace playmaker now has a tournament-leading five assists to his name, having since set up two goals for Mbappe and one each for Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

With a whopping 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich last season, European Golden Shoe winner Harry Kane has struck fear into every defence he's come up against in North America.

Kane has often faced allegations of not living up to the big occasion for England, but he has shown that he is built for the task at this World Cup. His double against Croatia was crucial to their 4-2 win and he wrapped up the important victory over Panama, before rescuing the Three Lions from last-32 elimination against DR Congo with a fantastic double in the final 15 minutes.

England had to contend with a change in altitude and a deafening home crowd as they took on Mexico at the Azteca in the last-16, and Kane was vital once again. He sent Jude Bellingham through for the second of his quickfire double before firing Tuchel's team 3-1 up from the penalty spot.

Jude Bellingham famously bellowed “who else” when helping to keep England in the hunt for continental glory at Euro 2024, and the Real Madrid midfielder has proved he remains the man for the big occasion this summer, emphatically shutting down critics who claimed he didn't deserve a starting spot under Thomas Tuchel.

He fired the Three Lions back in front during their testing World Cup opener against Croatia, before breaking the deadlock against Panama in New Jersey to help secure top spot in Group L. It was against Mexico in the round of 16 that his influence truly emerged, however, as the midfielder punished the tournament co-hosts with back-to-back goals to put England in the ascendancy and ultimately on course to win the clash 3-2.

Bellingham somehow managed to top that display with another two-goal showing in a tense 2-1 quarter-final win against Norway, leading Gary Lineker to suggest that the 23-year-old could become England's greatest ever player.

Now he's just getting greedy! Lionel Messi has won it all in his career - most of it on more than one occasion - and is well aware of what it takes to win the Golden Ball. He already has two in his trophy cabinet and having turned 39 during the competition, it is a testament to his longevity that he is leading the charge again.

The Argentine sensation, who beat Mbappe to the prize four years ago, started the 2026 edition with a hat-trick against Algeria as Argentina ran out 3-0 winners in their first game.

The treble made him the World Cup's joint-top scorer of all-time with 16 and he followed that up by setting a new record with his double against Austria on matchday two. The South American GOAT then stepped off the bench to fire in a free-kick against Jordan and become the first man to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches.

After Argentina eventually scraped a 3-2 extra-time win against Cape Verde in one of the greatest matches in the tournament's history - with Messi again on target - the world was reminded that he is indeed human when he missed a penalty against Egypt in the last-16. The African side went 2-0 up but Messi was on target with the equalising goal before they grabbed a dramatic stoppage-time winner.

When you consider that 27-year-old Kylian Mbappe had both gold and silver medals under his belt and the same goal record as Brazil icon Pele (12 in 14 games) heading into the tournament, his status as a World Cup great was already undeniable.

Mbappe is seemingly out to become the best ever player on this stage, though, having moved ahead of the Brazilian icon in his first game in the United States, scoring twice to help fire Les Bleus to a 3-1 win. He followed that up with another double against Iraq, then turned provider with two assists against Norway as France won the group.

Les Bleus came up against Sweden in the last-32 and it was Mbappe who got them over the line. After seeing an early opener ruled out, he scored the first and third goals to set up a feisty showdown against Paraguay, where he made the difference with a penalty. Mbappe continued his hot-streak in the quarter-finals, curling home a superb shot to set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco.