Ballon d'Or 2026: the five leading candidates | OneFootball

With less than a month to go before the October 26 gala, the race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or is being defined by remarkable parity.

Harry Kane is among the leading candidates after an extraordinary season: 73 goals for Bayern and the national team, in addition to winning the Bundesliga, the German Cup, and the German Super Cup.

Lamine Yamal’s main claim is having won the World Cup with Spain, along with a great individual season with Barcelona.

Kylian Mbappé, meanwhile, finished as the top scorer in both LaLiga and the Champions League, and was also the top scorer at the World Cup with 10 goals, while also becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 22.

Also in the running is Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to the World Cup final with eight goals and four assists and ended up among the tournament’s standout players despite being 39 years old; his candidacy is also backed by his season numbers with Inter Miami and the national team.

Rodri, a World Cup winner with Spain, completes this group of five because of his influence in midfield and for having been one of the key figures of the champion team, although his candidacy comes from a different profile than that of the top scorers. The journalists’ voting has already closed, and the winner will be announced on October 26 in London.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.