‎Who will win the 2026 Ballon D'or?

[atookz]

So far no one has claimed it, but I wouldn't be surprised if everyone came back to Yamal. After a year in which he won the World Cup with Spain and La Liga with Barcelona, it makes sense too. Not to mention he was runner-up the last time behind Dembélé. But, that's not a foregone conclusion. This year, it's really up for grabs, imo. Rodri isn't leaving either: his midfield control throughout the tournament was quite an MVP-level performance to say the least. And although Real Madrid have had a few bumps and bruises this season, Mbappé is now the all-time top scorer in 2026 World Cup history. That's not nothing.

I don't feel like the Ballon d'Or would be given to Yamal. He has been clearly showing that he supports Palestine. He even waved its flag after Barcelona became the La Liga champions.

While there are so many countries which are in business relationship with Israel I think this would also have an affect on to whom this prize will be awarded...

But bookmakers still show him as the 2nd favourite for it. So let's see if I'll be proven wrong.

I think you're just making something up about the politics angle. Actually the numbers have changed from what you are saying, once Spain have won the World Cup some of the bookies (Sky Sports, bet365) had Yamal as the second preference and now it is the outright favourite. He's only behind Kane (27% vs 41%) again on Polymarket and that's rising rapidly since Spain made the final.

In terms of Palestine swaying voters, Ballon d'Or never did swing anytime and in any direction. Don't be fooled by the stats, because it was just 28 goal contributions in Barca's title run, and he out-dribbled Messi at the World Cup. This is what voters consider, not a flag on the pitch.

But bookies have been known to mess up once in a while, so we'll see how it goes, anyway! 😄

[Noorooo]

My bet is on Lamine Yamal because he is the only guy who has won trophies. With his international team he won the World Cup and with his club team FCB he won La Liga. He is the only player who is showing great performances for both his club team and his international team. And if we look at the other players no one has achieved anything compared to him.And i also think so guys he is currently the best winger of the world Thats why guys I think Lamine is the most deserving one for this Ballon d'Or.

[Richbased]

My bet is on Lamine Yamal because he is the only guy who has won trophies. With his international team he won the World Cup and with his club team FCB he won La Liga. He is the only player who is showing great performances for both his club team and his international team. And if we look at the other players no one has achieved anything compared to him.And i also think so guys he is currently the best winger of the world Thats why guys I think Lamine is the most deserving one for this Ballon d'Or.

The crown fits Lamine Yamal, he has achieved a lot at his age and he is a skillful player that entertains fans a lot even in matches that he didn't score but he tries his best to support his teammates. Except his performance depreciates when the new season kicks off otherwise there is no other player better than Lamine Yamal. He is a player that his presence is always felt whenever he makes a start for his team and he is not a selfish player because he believes in team work to achieve the desired results. I just hope that this year's Balloon d'Or award will be as fair as the last one that was conducted where Ousmane Dembele won it.

[AprilioMP]

Mbappe's stats are pretty impressive, but they didn't get him any trophies. I have a feeling it's going to be one of the players with the top trophies. Perhaps Lamine Yamal or Dembele
Also, the Balon D'Or turned into something hype/media-focused vs. actual achievements, so I won't be surprised if journalists decided to vote for someone we didn't expect.

The candidates are Dembele, Yamal, and Rodri, who have trophies. Kylan Mbappé is statistically impressive, but he hasn't won a trophy. I've predicted from the start that the Ballon d'Or winner will depend heavily on how influential the winner is on the media, like previous winners. Based on media influence, Yamal will likely emerge victorious, and Kylan Mbappé also has a chance. If Mbappé wins, journalists might realize his sensational/media influence.
The media is currently debating who will continue the marketability of Messi and Ronaldo, and I believe it's between Mbappé and Yamal.

[Shussainshah]

The crown fits Lamine Yamal, he has achieved a lot at his age and he is a skillful player that entertains fans a lot even in matches that he didn't score but he tries his best to support his teammates. Except his performance depreciates when the new season kicks off otherwise there is no other player better than Lamine Yamal. He is a player that his presence is always felt whenever he makes a start for his team and he is not a selfish player because he believes in team work to achieve the desired results. I just hope that this year's Balloon d'Or award will be as fair as the last one that was conducted where Ousmane Dembele won it.

I think the ballon d’or race will be between yamal and Mbappe. But there is also a twist one player won the trophy and the other give amazing performance throw out the whole season, I never doubt any other players can be in that's race because if you talking about rodri or Dembele they both are good but Dembele didn't show much last season I know he is the ballon d’or winner but last season was average for Dembele and same averge season for rodri actually they didn't play the whole season most of the season they are injured and miss matchs. But in the list there is one guy who really be in that's list which is kane and I think kane can be in the top 3 in the Balloon Dor list.

[kriminall]

Mbappe's stats are pretty impressive, but they didn't get him any trophies. I have a feeling it's going to be one of the players with the top trophies. Perhaps Lamine Yamal or Dembele
Also, the Balon D'Or turned into something hype/media-focused vs. actual achievements, so I won't be surprised if journalists decided to vote for someone we didn't expect.

The candidates are Dembele, Yamal, and Rodri, who have trophies. Kylan Mbappé is statistically impressive, but he hasn't won a trophy. I've predicted from the start that the Ballon d'Or winner will depend heavily on how influential the winner is on the media, like previous winners. Based on media influence, Yamal will likely emerge victorious, and Kylan Mbappé also has a chance. If Mbappé wins, journalists might realize his sensational/media influence.
The media is currently debating who will continue the marketability of Messi and Ronaldo, and I believe it's between Mbappé and Yamal.

Dembele, who has won previous awards for his significant achievements such as Champions League and French League titles, could be a strong contender here, but I don't think his statistics from last year were sufficient. He scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists, but 19-year-old Yamal finished the season with 24 goals and 17 assists. He also put in a very impressive performance. Considering his age, I think he is one of the players who deserve this award. If it were just about statistics, Mbappé scored 42 goals in 44 matches. We could say he would definitely win this award, but I don't think they would give it to Mbappé in a year when Real Madrid didn't win a trophy.

[9ja Amaka]

My bet is on Lamine Yamal because he is the only guy who has won trophies. With his international team he won the World Cup and with his club team FCB he won La Liga. He is the only player who is showing great performances for both his club team and his international team. And if we look at the other players no one has achieved anything compared to him.And i also think so guys he is currently the best winger of the world Thats why guys I think Lamine is the most deserving one for this Ballon d'Or.

The crown fits Lamine Yamal, he has achieved a lot at his age and he is a skillful player that entertains fans a lot even in matches that he didn't score but he tries his best to support his teammates. Except his performance depreciates when the new season kicks off otherwise there is no other player better than Lamine Yamal. He is a player that his presence is always felt whenever he makes a start for his team and he is not a selfish player because he believes in team work to achieve the desired results. I just hope that this year's Balloon d'Or award will be as fair as the last one that was conducted where Ousmane Dembele won it.

The crown is between Yamal and Dembele. Yamal won the World Cup, though he didn't do well individually. Dembele didn't win the World Cup nor progress to the final, but scored a number of goals and won the Champions League. I think Dembele will be the favorite to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or

It wouldn't have been debatable if Mbappe had won either the World Cup or the Champions League because Mbappe's stats are arguably the best in terms of individual honors.

[AprilioMP]

The candidates are Dembele, Yamal, and Rodri, who have trophies. Kylan Mbappé is statistically impressive, but he hasn't won a trophy. I've predicted from the start that the Ballon d'Or winner will depend heavily on how influential the winner is on the media, like previous winners. Based on media influence, Yamal will likely emerge victorious, and Kylan Mbappé also has a chance. If Mbappé wins, journalists might realize his sensational/media influence.
The media is currently debating who will continue the marketability of Messi and Ronaldo, and I believe it's between Mbappé and Yamal.

Dembele, who has won previous awards for his significant achievements such as Champions League and French League titles, could be a strong contender here, but I don't think his statistics from last year were sufficient. He scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists, but 19-year-old Yamal finished the season with 24 goals and 17 assists. He also put in a very impressive performance. Considering his age, I think he is one of the players who deserve this award. If it were just about statistics, Mbappé scored 42 goals in 44 matches. We could say he would definitely win this award, but I don't think they would give it to Mbappé in a year when Real Madrid didn't win a trophy.

It’s a toss-up between Yamal and Mbappé. This is because both have shown progress that will generate significant and sustained media attention. Haaland’s name may also make it onto the list of players who will generate media buzz in the future, since they’re all still under 30.
The statistics and other factors considered by journalists or voters in the selection process will highlight the market value I’m referring to. Back when Modric won the Ballon d’Or amid the dominance of Messi and Ronaldo, it demonstrated that this award isn’t just about sensationalism—to me, it’s also about marketing.

[ZAINmalik75]

How can Dembele be included in this discussion? He missed a lot of games during the season and hardly took part in the Champions League. If you compare him to Mbappe, Mbappe's games/goals ratio is twice as high and Mbappe has won the Golden Boot in three competitions, while Dembele hasn't won one. Just winning the award in Ligue 1 and the previous great season doesn't give you any advantage this season. Rodri, even though he missed a lot of games for City, is a much more serious contender than Dembele because of the World Cup.

I think if we have a look at dembele UCL stats he hardly just miss early few matches and no doubt mbappe were dominate in term of leading scorer, However at the same time dembele team won the UCL and his contribution at final really mattered like he play the decisive role and that's where mbappe leak to be a strong contender for ballondor, because individual achievement hasn't have much weight compared to team milestones and that's what we have learn from history back in when Salah and Lewandowski were nominated. While rodri may be got nominated but definitely hot favorite will be yamal and definitely will get handosme votes.

[Nightwatchmare]

The stats of the candidates in the race for the Balloon d'or are incredible, and i think with such stats the race is a tight one and it is going to be difficult to determine the next Balloon d'or winner because all the candidates deserve to win it as their efforts helped their various teams win major trophy, except for Mbappe whose effort could not help Real Madrid win any trophy last season. If i where to be among the people that will cast the votes to determine the next Balloon d'or winner i will cast my vote for Harry Kane because he helped Bayern Munich reclaimed their dominance and he has remained consistent with scoring goals since moving to Bayern Munich.