The Ballon d’Or is the top individual award in football, and the competition for the 2026 title is heating up.
Several big names are already in the running for France Football’s Golden Ball, with this summer’s World Cup possibly influencing the outcome.
Here’s a look at the current favorites for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Michael Olise – 12/1
Michael Olise has emerged as a contender for the Ballon d’Or while playing for Bayern Munich. The French winger has excelled after moving from the Premier League to Germany, becoming one of the top players in his position.
He tops the assist charts in Europe’s top five leagues (16) and the Champions League (5) this season, alongside scoring 15 goals. His chances for the award will increase if Bayern performs well in the Champions League and France does well in the World Cup.
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 another French player taking the Ballon d’Or in consecutive years? The last country to have different winners in two years was the Netherlands (Ruud Gullit in 1987, and Marco van Basten in 1988 and 1989).
Declan Rice – 7/1
Is Declan Rice the best footballer in the world? No. But he is a key player for Arsenal, who are aiming for a historic quadruple this season.
Rice’s strong performances in midfield are crucial for Arsenal’s success. To be a serious contender, he needs Arsenal to win major trophies and for England to perform well in the World Cup.
Harry Kane – 9/2
It has been 25 years since an English player won the Ballon d’Or, yet two of the current favorites are from England.
Harry Kane, despite his impressive record, has never placed higher than 10th in the Ballon d’Or rankings. His accolades include 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’s stunning statistics have become common, although they are exceptional. This season, he has scored a personal best of 45 goals across all competitions and is close to breaking Robert Lewandowski’s single-season Bundesliga record. If Bayern and England achieve success, his case for the award will be solid.
Kylian Mbappe – 7/2
Kylian Mbappe has been viewed as a future Ballon d’Or winner since his breakout with Monaco as a teenager.
He finished third in 2023 but was ranked sixth last season as Real Madrid had a less than stellar year, despite winning the European Golden Shoe.
This season, Mbappe has scored 38 goals in 33 matches, leading his team in their campaign. He is considered one of the best talents globally and will captain France at the 2026 World Cup. Mbappe has a chance to become the World Cup’s top scorer at just 27 years old, needing only four more goals to tie Miroslav Klose’s record.
Lamine Yamal – 11/4
Lamine Yamal nearly became the youngest Ballon d’Or winner last year, finishing as a runner-up to Ousmane Dembele.
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
At just 18, he still has nearly three years to break Ronaldo Nazario’s Ballon d’Or record. Based on his current progress, he is certainly one to watch.
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