Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or in 2025, but who will honor this famous individual in 2026?
With the 2025/26 season in full swing and players starting to stake their claim for the historic award, there could be many twists and turns in the World Cup year.
Here are the 20 players who are currently in the best position to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, based on their current form and each team’s chances of winning silver.
Ranking factors: To rank players in order, we considered the following criteria:
Current form – how well the player has performed over the past few months
Importance to the team – How much does it impact team performance?
Reputation – what others say about you
2026 Ballon d’Or Power Ranking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
rank | player | year | club | nation |
1 | Kylian Mbappe | 26 | real madrid | France |
2 | Lamine Yamal | 18 | Barcelona | Spain |
3 | Ousmane Dembele | 28 | P.S.G. | France |
4 | harry kane | 32 | bayern munich | england |
5 | Pedri | twenty two | Barcelona | Spain |
6 | erling haaland | twenty five | man city | Norway |
7 | Vinicius Jr. | twenty five | real madrid | Brazil |
8 | Rafinha | 28 | Barcelona | Brazil |
9 | Declan Rice | 26 | arsenal | england |
10 | michael orise | twenty three | bayern munich | France |
11 | mohamed is wrong | 33 | liverpool | egypt |
12 | Hvitya Kvaratskheria | twenty four | P.S.G. | georgia |
13 | jude bellingham | twenty two | real madrid | england |
14 | Ashraf Hakimi | 26 | P.S.G. | Morocco |
15 | virgil van dijk | 34 | liverpool | Netherlands |
16 | lionel messi | 38 | inter miami | Argentina |
17 | vicinha | twenty five | P.S.G. | Portugal |
18 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 40 | Al Nasr | Portugal |
19 | Joan Neves | twenty one | P.S.G. | Portugal |
20 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | 26 | man city | Italy |
10
michael orise
bayern munich and france
We begin our countdown to the top 10 with Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, who is continuing his form in his second season at the Allianz Arena.
Olise has become a regular on the right wing under coach Vincent Kompany and has already reached double figures in goal contributions for Munich.
Meanwhile, national team manager Didier Deschamps said Olise “has everything”, while France and Bayern teammate Dayot Upamecano called the player a “magician”.
9
Declan Rice
arsenal and england
Currently a key member for club and country, Declan Rice is arguably one of the best midfielders in Europe at the moment, and has shone in a slightly more forward role at Mikel Arteta’s Emirates.
Since scoring two spectacular free-kicks against Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League, Rice has gone from strength to strength and has been praised by the likes of England legends David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
8
Rafinha
barcelona and brazil
Rafinha, who played well with Barcelona last season and helped them win the double, finished fifth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or standings and was somewhat under the radar due to a certain Lamine Yamal.
But if Barcelona lifts silver again and Rafinha represents Brazil at the World Cup, he will have a chance to break into the top five again.
7
Vinicius Jr.
real madrid and brazil
Another Brazilian star, Vinicius Jr., controversially lost to Rodri in the 2024 Ballon d’Or, but now appears to be back to his best form as he aims for a historic individual award.
He regularly scored goals for Madrid as a left-winger under manager Xabi Alonso at the Bernabéu, and was handed the captain’s armband in their recent Champions League victory.
6
erling haaland
man city and norway
Jamie Carragher recently dubbed Erling Haaland the “greatest goalscorer in the history of English football” and said the forward is in top form himself after an outrageous start to the season.
Haaland, who enjoys scoring goals for Man City and Norway, may play in his first World Cup in 2026, but it will be his country’s first since 1998.
5
Pedri
barcelona and spain
Pedri, who leads Barcelona’s midfield, is regarded as the greatest midfielder at the moment and will be hoping to improve on his 11th place finish last time out.
The Spaniard also caught the eye of iconic midfielder Paul Scholes, with the Man United legend calling Pedri his “new favorite footballer”.
Manager Hansi Flick also called Pedri a “special” player, adding that he is “also becoming a better leader” for the team.
4
harry kane
bayern munich and england
Harry Kane continues to do what he does best: score goals regularly. During his time at Bayern Munich, Kane scored an astonishing 17 goals in his first nine games for the German champions, making him the fastest player this century to reach 100 goals for a team playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
The England captain is also eyeing the 2026 World Cup, which could be the 32-year-old’s last tournament.
3
Ousmane Dembele
PSG and France
Will he be able to go back to back? Well, if PSG maintain their dominance in France and Europe, and Ousmane Dembele helps his country win the World Cup, they will have a good chance.
The forward scored his first goal of the season at the end of August, but a hamstring injury halted his development.
Still, the 28-year-old has plenty of time to return to full fitness and win the Ballon d’Or again.
2
Lamine Yamal
barcelona and spain
Lamine Yamal has won the Ballon d’Or Copa Trophy for the past two years, so it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the Barcelona star achieves a major individual honor.
However, Barca currently trail Real Madrid in La Liga and have already dropped points in the Champions League group stage.
Still, 2026 could be Yamal’s year if he leads the Catalan giants to silver and stars in his first World Cup.
1
Kylian Mbappe
real madrid and france
Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé is currently leading the way as the favorite to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
The Frenchman has started the 2025/26 season in red hot form in front of goal and Madrid look to be in good form under new manager Xabi Alonso.
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has even called Mbappé “the best in the world”, and at his current form it’s hard to argue with Madrid fans.
