The Ballon d’Or 2026 will be awarded Monday, Oct. 26, at a ceremony in London, and the race comes down to three players. England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is the bookmakers’ favorite. Real Madrid and France star Kylian Mbappe has gained late momentum, and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal remains close behind. The award, voted on by 100 journalists, honors the best player of the 2025 to 2026 season.
Each man brings a different argument. Kane has the goals, Mbappe has the records and Yamal has the trophies. Which one matters most to the voters is the question nobody can answer until the envelope opens.
Why is Harry Kane the Ballon d’Or 2026 favorite?
The numbers are staggering. Kane scored 73 goals for club and country, a total bettered in the modern game only by Lionel Messi. He scored in every Champions League knockout round, including both semifinal legs against Paris Saint Germain, added six goals at the World Cup and won three trophies, including the Bundesliga.
He also ran the quietest campaign of the contenders, giving only a handful of interviews focused on tactics. At 33, this may be his best chance to become the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001. The catch is that Bayern fell short in Europe and England finished third at the World Cup.
Why hasn’t Kylian Mbappe won the Ballon d’Or yet?
Timing has been cruel. Mbappe won the World Cup at 19 in 2018, but Luka Modric took the award. He scored a hat trick in the 2022 final, but Messi lifted the trophy. His best finish is third, in 2023.
This season, he made history. Mbappe won his second straight World Cup Golden Boot and became the tournament’s all time leading scorer with 22 goals in 22 games. He also led La Liga with 25 goals and the Champions League with 15.
But he won nothing. Real Madrid lost in the Champions League quarterfinals, and France finished fourth at the World Cup. Mbappe has campaigned openly, telling interviewers no player is better and arguing the award goes to an individual, not a team. He even sat through a comedy roast this month and left Nike for Swiss brand On, where Thierry Henry is football director.
Could Lamine Yamal win the Ballon d’Or at 19?
He has the strongest trophy case. Yamal won the World Cup with Spain and La Liga with Barcelona, where he was also named the league’s best player. He was briefly the favorite a few weeks ago. Some critics argue an injury-hampered World Cup weakens his case, while supporters say no one changed more big games.
Do trophies decide the Ballon d’Or?
History says they usually do. Every winner over the past decade lifted at least one major trophy that year. The last exception was Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013, who won on individual brilliance alone. Last year’s winner, Ousmane Dembele, led PSG to its first Champions League title. A win for Mbappe would make it back to back Black French winners.
What happened in Sunday’s Clasico?
The night before the ceremony, Mbappe delivered at Camp Nou. He scored in the 41st and 87th minutes as Real Madrid took a 2 to 1 lead over Barcelona late in the match. Yamal nearly scored minutes earlier, only for his curling shot to be blocked.
Here’s the twist. The Ballon d’Or rewards last season, so Sunday’s goals won’t count. Mbappe may have made his loudest statement exactly one day too late.
Kane has the numbers. Mbappe has the history. Yamal has the medals. By Monday night in London, one of those arguments will finally win.
