The Ballon d’Or is the biggest individual honour in football, and the race to win the 2026 accolade looks ultra competitive.
Some huge names are already in the frame to take France Football’s Golden Ball, though this summer’s World Cup could catapult contenders ahead of the competition.
We’ve looked at the current favourites for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Michael Olise – 12/1
Michael Olise has played his way into Ballon d’Or contention as part of a formidable Bayern Munich machine. The Frenchman has found new levels since swapping the Premier League for Germany, where he’s become one of the world’s top wingers.
Olise leads Europe’s top five leagues (16) and the Champions League for assists (5) and has scored 15 goals of his own. He’ll be right in contention for the accolade if Bayern go deep in the latter competition and France have a successful summer.
No other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues has recorded as many assists as Michael Olise in competitive matches this season (22) 🤝📈 pic.twitter.com/8RBCgTeq1C
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 13, 2026
After Ousmane Dembele’s win in 2025, could we see back-to-back Ballon d’Ors for Les Bleus? The last nation to have different consecutive Ballon d’Or winners was the Netherlands (Ruud Gullit, 1987, and Marco van Basten, 1988 and 1989).
Declan Rice – 7/1
Is Declan Rice the best footballer in the world? No. Is he an indispensable part of an Arsenal team that could legitimately win the lot this season? Absolutely.
Arsenal remain in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple, with Rice’s rampaging performances in midfield crucial to their chances. The midfielder will need Arsenal to get over the line in the big competitions, and England to have a strong World Cup, to challenge.
Harry Kane – 9/2
There hasn’t been an English winner of the Ballon d’Or for 25 years, but two of the current five frontrunners represent the Three Lions.
Harry Kane has perhaps been a victim of his own consistency, having never finished higher than 10th (2018 and 2024) in the Ballon d’Or, despite a list of achievements that includes three Premier League Golden Boots, two Bundesliga top scorer awards, a World Cup Golden Boot, and a European Golden Shoe.
Harry Kane has registered 644 goal contributions in 759 matches throughout his career 🤯🐐
THAT IS NOT NORMAL. pic.twitter.com/zJGKCE7ZU2
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) March 11, 2026
Kane has scored so often that his absurd numbers have become the norm. They’re not, and this season might just be his best yet.
The 32-year-old has scored a career-best 45 goals in all competitions by mid-March, and is chasing down Robert Lewandowski’s single-season Bundesliga record. Add in team honours for Bayern and England, and his case would be compelling.
Kylian Mbappe – 7/2
Kylian Mbappe has been billed as a future Ballon d’Or winner ever since bursting onto the scene with Monaco as a teenager.
He finished on the podium in 2023, but was overlooked last season (6th) as Real Madrid endured a modest season, despite winning the European Golden Shoe.
Mbappe has 38 goals in 33 games for the Spanish side this season and is carrying the torch for their campaign.
He is, arguably, the world’s top talent and will captain France at the 2026 World Cup. It’s a tournament where Mbappe could, realistically, become the World Cup’s all-time top scorer, at just 27 years old. He’s four behind Miroslav Klose’s current record.
Lamine Yamal – 11/4
Lamine Yamal narrowly missed out on becoming the youngest-ever Ballon d’Or winner last year, after a runners-up finish to Ousmane Dembele.
Yamal continues to defy logic when it comes to elite performances from a teenager, averaging a goal or assist every 85 minutes in La Liga and the Champions League this season.
Lamine Yamal became the first Spanish international to score 20+ goals in a single season for Barcelona since David Villa in 2010-11 (23).
Only 18 years old. We are witnesses. pic.twitter.com/YARY70zYmr
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 11, 2026
He’s still just 18, and has almost three years to break Ronaldo Nazario’s Ballon d’Or record. It would be a brave person to bet against him, based on his current trajectory.
Read – 📈 Power Rankings: PSG and Bodo return after UCL wins
See more – Remembering when a 21-year-old Ronaldo Nazario won the Ballon d’Or
