Ballon d'Or 2026: Every Contender Ranked

The votes are already in and the winner is already decided — so before the golden ball is lifted at the London Palladium on October 26, we rank every serious Ballon d'Or 2026 contender, from Ronaldo's shock omission to our number one. Our ranking: 8 Ronaldo (honorary mention), 7 Bellingham, 6 Haaland, 5 Dembélé, 4 Messi, 3 Mbappé, 2 Yamal, 1 Kane. Kane's 73 goals against Yamal's World Cup fairytale — this is our verdict, and why. Chapters: 00:00 The Votes Are Already In 00:44 How the Voting Works — 100 Journalists, 4 Criteria 01:33 #8 Ronaldo's Omission & #7 Bellingham 02:29 #6 Erling Haaland — 58 Goals, Only Sixth? 03:11 #5 Ousmane Dembélé — The Reigning Winner 03:55 #4 Lionel Messi — Twenty Years at the Top 04:45 #3 Kylian Mbappé — 58 Goals Buys Bronze 05:38 #2 Lamine Yamal — The 19-Year-Old World Cup Winner 06:39 #1 Harry Kane — Our Winner, and Why 07:46 What Decides It on October 26 Who lifts the golden ball in London — Kane, Yamal, Mbappé, or someone we ranked too low? Tell us your pick in the comments — and subscribe: our reaction video lands the morning after the ceremony, October 27. ⚽