Ballon d'Or 2026 Power Rankings: Lamine Yamal wins the World Cup - but did Spain's teenage superstar do enough to usurp Harry Kane in the Golden Ball battle?

In 2025-26: 15 goals, six assists.

Having finished on the podium back in 2024, Jude Bellingham's chances of even earning himself a Ballon d'Or nomination two years later looked over following a deeply underwhelming season at Real Madrid that was twice punctuated by spells on the sidelines as he recovered from injury. However, what Bellingham produced at the World Cup for England could yet earn him a spot on the final shortlist.

The midfielder was the driving force behind the Three Lions' run to the semi-finals, his tally of seven goals including match-winning braces against Mexico and Norway in the knockout rounds. And while England came up short once again on the global stage, Bellingham's performances are likely to live long in the memory of the Ballon d'Or voters.

In 2025-26: 30 goals, 10 assists. Won Serie A & Coppa Italia.

Though they were embarrassingly dumped out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt, Inter still enjoyed a successful season, as the Nerazzuri wrapped up the Serie A title before triumphing in the Coppa Italia final. As in previous years, Lautaro Martinez was the driving force behind that success.

He finished three goals clear as the top scorer in the Italian top-flight, and carried that form into World Cup, where he netted some crucial goals for Argentina, including the winner in their semi-final victory over England. Unfortunately, Lautaro didn't make it off the bench in the final as the Albiceleste prioritised defensive solidity, meaning he couldn't replicate the winning goal he scored in the 2024 Copa America final.

In 2025-26: 29 clean sheets. Won World Cup & Premier League.

There's always a space on the Ballon d'Or shortlist for a goalkeeper or two, and David Raya is the outstanding candidate in 2026 after enjoying another superb season for Arsenal. Raya won the Premier League Golden Glove for the third successive season as the Gunners finally got over the hump and triumphed in the English top-flight, while he conceded only five goals during Arsenal's run to the Champions League final.

He ended the season with a World Cup winners' medal, too, although Raya was rather surprisingly second-choice to Unai Simon for Spain, and thus didn't make an appearance in North America for La Roja.

In 2025-26: Three goals, six assists. Won World Cup, Champions League, Ligue 1, Trophee des Champions, UEFA Super Cup & FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

Fabian Ruiz actually missed a decent chunk of the season due to injury, but as the most decorated player of the 2025-26 season, he is still likely to find his way onto the the Ballon d'Or shortlist. The PSG man was still able to make some key contributions to their domestic and European success as he once again formed one third of the best midfield unit on the planet.

Ruiz then produced the goods for Spain during their triumphant World Cup run after stepping into the line up during the knockout rounds. The ex-Napoli star has still not tasted defeat in his 50 appearances for La Roja, with their lucky charm having now added a global title to the European one he helped win in 2024.

In 2025-26: Four goals, 18 assists, 21 clean sheets. Won Africa Cup of Nations, Champions League, Ligue 1 & UEFA Super Cup.

The best right-back on the planet, Achraf Hakimi enjoyed another excellent season for PSG, and returned from injury just in time to play a full part in their Champions League final triumph.

For now, he can also claim to be a champion of Africa following CAF's ruling to overturn the result of the controversial Cup of Nations final, though Senegal's appeal could yet reverse that call. Regardless, Morocco once again showed themselves to be the continent's leading light at the World Cup, with Hakimi producing the goods during their run to the quarter-finals.

In 2025-26: 32 goals, nine assists. Won World Cup & Copa del Rey.

It's no exaggeration to say that Mikel Oyarzabal enjoyed the season of his life. The man who netted the winner in the Euro 2024 final produced the best goal-scoring campaign of his career at club level while helping Real Sociedad win the Copa del Rey, and he maintained that lethal edge in the international arena.

Oyarzabal averaged almost a goal per game for Spain since they began World Cup qualifying in September, and showcased his deadly nature through the tournament, netting five times for the eventual champions in North America.

In 2025-26: 28 goals, 16 assists.

Vinicius Jr endured a miserable 2025 when it came to his performances for Real Madrid, managing just eight goals in La Liga over the course of the calendar year as his Ballon d'Or revenge tour went awry. However, as the old adage goes, 'form is temporary, class is permanent', and Vini showed that he can still prove to be decisive during a hot streak to kick-off 2026 that included him scoring four goals in six Champions League knockout games.

The former Flamengo talent's return to his best level wasn't enough to help bring silverware to the Bernabeu, but he did manage to put his abysmal record with Brazil to bed while leading from the front with four goals during the World Cup, albeit he couldn't carry the Selecao beyond the last 16 as their wait for a sixth star goes on.

In 2025-26: Eight goals, 15 assists. Won Premier League.

Declan Rice announced himself as one of the world's elite midfielders with his performances against Real Madrid in the 2024-25 Champions League, and the Arsenal man has gone from strength to strength since. Rice was one of the Gunners' most important players as they claimed the Premier League title this time around, as well as playing a big role in them reaching the Champions League final.

Rice's driving runs, defensive actions and set-piece deliveries meant games rarely passed him by, and he continued to make telling contributions during England's run to the World Cup semi-finals despite battling with injuries and illness in North America.

In 2025-26: Seven goals, 10 assists. Won Champions League, Ligue 1, Trophee des Champions, UEFA Super Cup & FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

Vitinha came a long way from his underwhelming loan spell at Wolves in 2021 to finishing on the Ballon d'Or podium in 2025, and the PSG dictator-in-chief is now regarded by many as the best midfielder on the planet. Certainly, he played in such a fashion for much of the season, and even added more goals and assists to his game as Luis Enrique's side again won both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

Vitinha was named Player of the Match in the final of the latter, and continued to set the tempo for Portugal at the World Cup, though the Seleccao as a whole massively underwhelmed on their way to a last-16 loss to Spain.

In 2025-26: 30 goals, 27 assists. Won Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal & DFL-Supercup.

Liverpool fans might be forgiven for wondering whether their season might have been far more successful had Luis Diaz not been sold last summer. The versatile forward played an important role in the Reds' title triumph of 2024-25, but his desire for a new challenge led to them accepting a €75m (£65.5m/$88m) bid from Bayern Munich for the Colombia international.

Diaz hasn't looked back since, having struck up a fine understanding with Harry Kane and the rest of his Bayern team-mates. Some of his strikes in the Bundesliga this past season were stunning, while his thrilling performances in the Champions League will definitely have caught the Ballon d'Or voters' eyes, even if Bayern ultimately came up short in Europe again. He also provided some moments of magic for Colombia at the World Cup, even if they were eliminated on penalties by Switzerland in the last 16.

In 2025-26: One goal, two assists, 26 clean sheets. Won World Cup, La Liga & Supercopa de Espana.

All eyes were on Lamine Yamal as Spain headed to the World Cup, but he ended up being outshone by another Barcelona teenager in the form of Pau Cubarsi. The 19-year-old backed up another title-winning season with the Blaugrana by truly announcing himself on the global stage, with Cubarsi seen by many as the outstanding centre-back during the tournament in North America.

The defender was named the Best Young Player following Spain's victory in the final as Cubarsi played a key role in La Roja conceding just 10 shots on target and a solitary goal on their way to lifting the trophy.

In 2025-26: 23 goals, 10 assists. Won Champions League, Ligue 1, Trophee des Champions, UEFA Super Cup & FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

If we were to crown the outstanding player of the Champions League knockout stages, then Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would be head and shoulders above pretty much everyone else. The PSG winger became the first player in the competition's history to score or assist in seven successive knockout games, with some stunning strikes included in that number as the defending champions fought their way to another European triumph.

Kvaratskhelia's season-long form did not reached those same heights, however, while Georgia's failure to qualify for the World Cup threatens to put a ceiling on where he can finish in the final Ballon d'Or reckoning. There is still a path to at least the podium for the man they call 'Kvaradona', and he could barely have done more to get there.

In 2025-26: 58 goals, 11 assists. Won FA Cup & Carabao Cup.

After an underwhelming season by his own lofty standards, Erling Haaland went into 'Terminator Mode' to begin the 2025-26 campaign, becoming a one-man battering ram for Manchester City as they aimed to re-establish themselves as challengers for the biggest prizes. A subsequent dry spell to start 2026 threatened to both ruin Haaland's Ballon d'Or chances as well as City's hopes of silverware as they crashed out of the Champions League, but both he and the team bounced back, winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup while pushing Arsenal all the way in the Premier League title race.

And so while Haaland failed to land the biggest trophies available to him, his Golden Ball candidacy was undoubtedly boosted by Norway's first appearance at the World Cup since 1998, where their star striker took full advantage by netting seven times during their first-ever run to the quarter-finals.

In 2025-26: 25 goals, 14 assists. Won Champions League, Ligue 1, Trophee des Champions, UEFA Super Cup & FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

Injuries limited the impact Dembele was able to have on the first half of PSG's season, meaning him defending his Ballon d'Or crown looked to be off the table. However, after returning to full fitness, he forced his way back into the reckoning by rediscovering his best form, most notably with match-winning performances against both Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockouts before he again found the net in the final victory over Arsenal.

Dembele still needed to make an impact on the World Cup to further his case, and he finally scored the first tournament goals of his career, with a hat-trick against Norway the headline moment of his six-goal campaign. However, he was otherwise overshadowed by some of his team-mates in North America, meaning back-to-back Golden Balls are now almost certainly out of reach.

In 2025-26: Two goals. Won World Cup, FA Cup & Carabao Cup.

Following his return from the ACL injury that ruined his hopes of defending the 2024 Ballon d'Or, Rodri didn't look like the same player for much of the 2025-26 campaign. Though he had his moments in a Manchester City shirt as they secured two trophies, he continued to struggle with fitness issues and looked off the pace at times.

However, all that was forgotten at the World Cup, where Rodri was one of the outstanding performers for Spain as they claimed their second title. Named the Player of the Tournament, Rodri is suddenly right back in the running for another Golden Ball that many believed wouldn't be achievable.

In 2025-26: 58 goals, 14 assists.

Is this the year Kylian Mbappe finally gets his hands on the Ballon d'Or? Almost from the moment he emerged as a teenager at Monaco, the forward has been anointed a future Golden Ball winner. But having turned 27 in December, Mbappe is still waiting for his opportunity to stand atop the podium.

For much of the season, he could have done little more to give himself the best chance possible of ending that wait, as Mbappe carried a struggling Real Madrid, to the point that he picked up a knee injury that he struggled to fully recover from, during which time Los Blancos' hopes of ending the season with a trophy gradually drifted away. Mbappe does, however, tend to save his best performances for World Cups, and for the third tournament running he was one of the standout performers, with his 10 goals earning him a historic second Golden Boot.

In 2025-26: 26 goals, 41 assists. Won Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal & DFL-Supercup.

Anyone who predicted that Michael Olise would struggle to make the step up from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich has been sorely mistaken, with the winger having strung together two years of fantastic performances for the Bundesliga champions. Equally capable of scoring as he is creating goals for others, the 24-year-old has grown into one of the most fearsome forward players in Europe while also making his mark on the Champions League, most notably against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, whom he ran ragged for long periods at the Bernabeu before capping the tie with a goal back in Bavaria.

Olise's club performances also helped him lock down a starting spot in the France line-up despite intense competition for places, and he was one of the stars of Les Bleus' World Cup campaign, with his creativity and eye for a pass helping him provide a record-breaking seven assists.

In 2025-26: 44 goals, 30 assists. Won MLS Cup.

The days of Lionel Messi even being nominated for the Ballon d'Or were thought to be behind us, but after guiding Inter Miami to their first-ever MLS Cup before enjoying a sparkling World Cup with Argentina, there is still a real chance that the eight-time winner earns himself another Golden Ball for his collection.

Messi proved to be a class apart on his way to winning a second-straight MLS MVP award as he provided six goals and seven assists in Miami's six play-off matches alone, and certainly that success at club level should be taken into account when the Ballon d'Or voters complete their ballots.

He went on to score eight times and provide four assists during a virtuoso World Cup, and though he couldn't carry Argentina all the way this time around, he did enough to show, at 39, that he remains one of, if not the best footballer on the planet.

In 2025-26: 26 goals, 21 assists. Won World Cup, La Liga & Supercopa de Espana.

The bookmakers' Ballon d'Or favourite heading into the season, Lamine Yamal is well on course to become the first player under the age of 21 to claim the award - and he wouldn't even have to win it in 2026 to do so! The Barcelona teenager's performances in the latter stages of last season's Champions League saw him emerge in the eyes of many as the finest footballer in the world, and his runners-up finish behind Dembele in the voting was testament to that.

There are those who still believe Yamal needs to produce more decisive moments in the biggest games, while there are concerns that the number of matches he has played at such a young age are leading to an increase in injury issues that ultimately brought a premature end to his club campaign and played a role in his limited output for Spain at the World Cup. He was still able to showcase his unique dynamism as La Roja went all the way in North America, but Yamal's failure to put his own individual stamp on the tournament means he may well fall just short in the Ballon d'Or race once again.

In 2025-26: 73 goals, eight assists. Won Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal & DFL-Supercup.

There will always be those who don't fully appreciate Harry Kane, but now that he has got the trophy monkey off his back that so many used to beat him with, the Bayern Munich striker has looked like a man on a mission, utterly determined to show that he is also worthy of individual recognition as he found the net at a remarkable rate.

As well as scoring mountains of goals, Kane showcased his all-round game to devastating effect for the Bundesliga champions, while he netted six times for England during their run to the World Cup semi-finals. Coming up short in North America opened the door for others to steal the Ballon d'Or away from him, but given this is a prize that is routinely handed out to the player who has enjoyed the best individual season, it's hard to argue with Kane not finishing on top of the podium.