The race is officially on to see who will succeed Ousmane Dembele as the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner.
Dembele took out football's top individual gong for 2025 thanks to a season in which he fired Pairs Saint-Germain to a Ligue 1 title but, more importantly, a maiden Champions League crown.
‘Colossus’ Arsenal star tipped for Ballon d’Or to make 20 year first
Teenage talent Lamine Yamal finished one place behind Dembele in the rankings and is already one of the favourites for the award next year.
Harry Kane, thanks to his record breaking feats in Germany, will also be high up. The striker is the fastest player to score 100 goals for a major European club, beating Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo.
So, who else is among the contenders to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
Here, talkSPORT.com keeps an eye on those who are expected to figure in the conversation for the coveted prize in 2026 via our Ballon d'Or power rankings.
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2025 Ballon d'Or Rankings
Ousmane Dembele
Lamine Yamal
Vitinha
Mohamed Salah
Raphinha
Achraf Hakimi
Kylian Mbappe
Cole Palmer
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Nuno Mendes
Pedri
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Harry Kane
Desire Doue
Viktor Gyokeres
Vinicius Jr
Robert Lewandowski
Scott McTominay
Joao Neves
Lautaro Martinez
Serhou Guirassy
Alexis Mac Allister
Jude Bellingham
Fabian Ruiz
Denzel Dumfries
Erling Haaland
Declan Rice
Virgil van Dijk
Florian Wirtz
Erling Haaland
The rankings are collated based on a player's odds, provided by talkSPORT Bet, for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
9th - Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
talkSPORT BET Odds: 20/1
Michael Olise has been a player transformed under the tutelage of Bayern boss Vincent Kompany.
This season, the former Crystal Palace winger has chalked up an impressive 18 goal contributions in 20 games, registering nine goals and nine assists.
The 23-year-old leads the Bundesliga in the assists charts with six, proving he has more than handled the step up in competition since he departed Selhurst Park for £50million in 2024.
Operating on the right flank and boasting a wicked left foot, Olise may very well be the reincarnation of Arjen Robben at the Allianz Arena with how easily he burns past his marker when cutting inside.
Olise is flying at Bayern Munich
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Olise is flying at Bayern MunichCredit: Getty
His importance for Bayern is evident, but if Olise can transfer his club form onto the international stage for France at next year's World Cup, he could end up being the toast of football.
= 8th - Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
talkSPORT BET Odds: 16/1
Lionel Messi may be in the twilight of his career, but don't think there's no magic left in the diminutive superstar.
Messi recently chalked up his 1,300th goal contribution in Inter Miami's win over FC Cincinnati in the MLS Cup play-offs as he had a hand in all four of the Floridians' goals.
The World Cup winner is now just one victory away from leading Miami to its first MLS Cup and if he can do that, it would be yet another feather in his cap.
To date, Messi has scored a whopping 43 goals and provided 24 assists in 48 matches for Miami this season.
Lionel Messi celebrates scoring for Inter Miami against FC Cincinnati
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The Argentinian superstar isn't slowing down at the age of 38Credit: Getty
Whether his feats in a league like MLS would be enough to make a serious dent in the Ballon d'Or conversation remains to be seen.
But, if he can guide Miami to silverware and enjoy what looks to be a last dance with Argentina at next year's World Cup, who's to say Messi can't collect a ninth Ballon d'Or?
= 8th - Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
talkSPORT BET Odds: 16/1
Well, if Tottenham boss Thomas Frank believes Vitinha is in with a shout of winning the Ballon d'Or, who are we to disagree.
Following Paris Saint-Germain's 5-3 win over Spurs, in which Vitinha bagged a hat-trick, Frank said: "By the way, Vitinha, best midfielder in the world, he'll be the next Ballon d'Or winner for me."
The former Wolves star is living up to the potential he knew he had as his displays in PSG's midfield continue to get the recognition they deserve.
Will Frank's claim prove to be true?
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Will Frank's claim prove to be true?
Whether it's his metronomic ability to keep possession ticking over, intervening at the crucial hour or chipping in vital goals, Vitinha has grown into one of the most dependable midfielders in football.
6th - Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain)
talkSPORT BET Odds: 14/1
Dembele was understandably emotional after he claimed the Ballon d'Or as he became the second Frenchman in the last four years to have won the award.
Now, he has the chance to become the first player not named Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to win back-to-back Ballons d'Or since Marco van Basten, who accomplished the feat in 1988 and 1989.
The 28-year-old began the season brightly with five goal contributions in six games across all competitions.
However, his season was disrupted when he suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty with France.
Ousmane Dembele cuts a frustrated figure during a PSG fixture
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Dembele has struggled for form amid a frustrating run with injuries this seasonCredit: Getty
Since his return in October, Dembele has scored just one goal from seven games.
Although the winger may be short of a gallop at the moment, the fact he is the reigning Ballon d'Or winner serves as a reminder of his devastating brilliance in the final third.
5th - Declan Rice (Arsenal)
talkSPORT BET Odds: 10/1
Although Vitinha may be the flavour of the month when it comes to midfielders in the Ballon d'Or conversation, Declan Rice won't go quietly into the night.
Granted, the Arsenal man's goal contributions may not be as plentiful as his Portuguese counterpart.
But Rice's game isn't solely based on goals and assists.
Declan Rice during Arsenal's Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur
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Rice is more than living up to his lofty price tag as Arsenal charge towards the titleCredit: Getty
Instead, he is as all-round as they come.
Rice sits ahead of all his Arsenal teammates in terms of possession won in the league having done so 53 times.
The England international also has made the second-most tackles among the Gunners (24), with only Jurrien Timber making more.
If Rice manages to mix in some more goals and assists, which he may do given he is often on set-piece duties, there's no denying he will be in with a shout of football's greatest individual honour.
4th - Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
talkSPORT BET Odds: 6/1
If the Ballon d'Or was decided purely on goals scored in a season, Erling Haaland would be in contention for the award every year.
Erling Haaland celebrates for Manchester City.
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Haaland continues to break records at Manchester CityCredit: Getty
Since the Norwegian marksman joined Manchester City in the summer of 2022, he has scored a staggering 144 goals in 165 appearances across all competitions.
In fact, only Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored more league goals than Haaland since the 2022/23 season.
He has won the Premier League's golden boot in two of the three campaigns he has been at City and given he's four goals ahead in the race for this season, you'd be silly to claim Haaland won't add a third to his collection.
To add another feather in the Norwegian's cap, he became the latest member of the Premier League's 100 club.
However, Haaland's Ballon d'Or hopes will likely hinge on City's success in cup competitions and the Premier League.
City went into this season on the back of their first trophyless campaign since 2017.
Two of those in succession would surely kill off any hope Haaland had of a maiden Ballon d'Or.
The Norwegian ace constantly terrorises opposition backlines
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The Norwegian ace constantly terrorises opposition backlines
3rd - Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
talkSPORT BET Odds: 4/1
Despite a season in which he scored 41 goals across all competitions and won his maiden Bundesliga title, Bayern Munich striker Kane finished 13th in the 2025 Ballon d'Or rankings.
But in a World Cup year, it is almost perfect timing for Kane to skyrocket up the leaderboard.
A talismanic figure for England, Kane would have a ridiculously strong case for the Ballon d'Or if he can enjoy a similar goalscoring season fro Bayern and lead the Three Lions to a deep run at next year's World Cup.
Kane has eight goals from 11 World Cup matches, so there's a high expectation to continue the scoring trend in 2026.
Over in Bavaria, Kane is more than living up to his billing as one of football's best goalscorers having netted 24 times in 20 matches for Bayern this term.
If he can continue to break records, like he already has done this season, then Kane has every reason to be a favourite for next year's Ballon d'Or.
Harry Kane of Bayern Munich celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and SC Freiburg at Allianz Arena on November 22, 2025 in Munich, Germany.
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Kane is on track to win another Bundesliga golden bootCredit: Getty
= 1st - Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
talkSPORT BET Odds: 11/4
Kylian Mbappe once finished as high as third in the Ballon d'Or rankings in 2023, but hasn't quite hit those same heights since.
But a change in the dugout at Real Madrid, with Xabi Alonso replacing Carlo Ancelotti, Mbappe has become a man transformed.
After 19 games across all competitions, Mbappe has netted an impressive 23 goals, with 14 of those coming in as many LaLiga fixtures.
To compare, it took Mbappe 21 league fixtures last season to reach that number of goals.
Similarly to a large number of fellow Ballon d'Or rivals, Mbappe's hopes for a maiden crown may hinge on not just Real Madrid's trophy haul this season but France's journey at the World Cup.
He's already inspired Les Bleus to a world championship in 2018 and a run to the final in 2022, so expect Mbappe to have a big say in how the 2026 iteration of the tournament unfolds, especially since he has 12 goals in 14 appearances at football's biggest show.
Given what Mbappe's already done in World Cups it would be no surprise if 2026 was his year
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Given what Mbappe's already done in World Cups it would be no surprise if 2026 was his yearCredit: Getty
= 1st - Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
talkSPORT BET odds: 11/4
Aged 17 years and 53 days, Lamine Yamal broke the record for the youngest player to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or.
Although he didn't win, the fact the Spaniard finished second in the voting is clear enough of a sign a Ballon d'Or in his trophy cabinet is almost a matter of when, not if.
The teenage sensation is not shy of his aims either, stating he doesn't dream of winning just one Ballon d'Or, 'I dream of many.'
Having fired Spain to glory at Euro 2024, where he registered a tournament-leading four assists and was named the best young player, Yamal will be targeting similar success at next year's World Cup with La Roja.
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Regardless of how Spain fares in North America next year, time is on Yamal's side to create history as the youngest-ever Ballon d'Or winner, a record which belongs to Ronaldo who win it in 1997 aged 21 years, three months and five days.
Visit talkSPORT BET for all the latest Ballon d'Or betting odds.