The 2026 Ballon d’Or winner is anyone’s guess right now, a wild card that’s throwing everyone for a loop and starkly different from last year’s clear narrative. We’re talking about the final round of power rankings here, and with the announcement coming on October 26, who exactly gets crowned the world’s best player for last season seems far more up in the air than in most years. Remember how last year, Ousmane Dembele had an “irresistible” story, putting it all together at the right moment, even if Mohamed Salah and Raphinha had better pure output? That’s not happening this time around.
The Race Nobody Saw Coming
Look, the eligibility period wrapped up with Spain winning the World Cup, but that didn’t clear things up for the individual award. Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, and Harry Kane are all making serious noise because they know there are “swing voters” out there to be won over before the September 28 deadline. Seriously, nobody has an “unassailable candidacy” this season. We saw a ton of excellent individual campaigns, no doubt, but “few, if any, legitimately great ones” that just screamed “best in the world.” It’s like everyone was good, but no one was *epic*.
Even the biggest club triumphs didn’t give anyone that “one extra trophy to buttress their campaign.” Bayern Munich and Barcelona snagged their domestic leagues, but honestly, big whoop when you’re talking about the Ballon d’Or. Arsenal took the English league title in spite of their star forwards, a real testament to their depth, but that kind of collective resilience isn’t usually what gets you on the podium for an individual award. Paris Saint-Germain repeated their league and Champions League double, but half their strongest XI barely showed up in Ligue 1. And Dembele? He’s not repeating his performance from around 2500 minutes for club and country. The World Cup usually “warps voting” but it’s “clarifying little” among the top contenders this time.
Individual Brilliance Versus Team Glory
It gets even more complicated when you dig into the World Cup performances. Kane and Mbappe had fantastic individual tournaments, no question, but one of the three Ballon d’Or criteria is “team performances and achievements.” And let’s be real, England and France fell short there. Yamal fulfills the team criterion with Spain’s triumph, but even that was “one of the collective,” and his forward struggled with injury during the tournament. It feels like the best individual players at the World Cup don’t even fit neatly into these rankings. Rodri was a rock for Spain, but his domestic season was “hampered by injury.” And Lionel Messi? His “historic standing” was only boosted by what he did as a 39-year-old, but the significance of his MLS Cup-winning run before that? That’s definitely up for debate.
This year, more than most, there truly is “no right answer.” We’re just waiting for October 26 to see who takes home the biggest individual prize in soccer. Who do you think deserves it?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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