Ballon d'Or 2026: Voting closes, Mbappé, Yamal and Dembélé among favourites

Voting for the 2026 Ballon d’Or officially closed on Monday. The international jury, composed of one hundred journalists each representing one of the top one hundred countries in the FIFA rankings, submitted their ballots within the prescribed deadline. The name of the winner will not be revealed until 26 October, at the ceremony held in London for the 70th edition of the trophy.

In accordance with the regulations, each juror ranked ten players in descending order of merit, based on the list of thirty nominees. The points system awarded — 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 — allows candidates to be separated. In the event of a perfect tie, it is the number of first-place votes that decides, then second-place votes, and so on.

This tie-breaking procedure is of particular importance this year, as the ballot promises to be very close. Kylian Mbappé led a remarkable individual campaign, finishing as the top scorer in the World Cup, La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, but he won no collective trophies, which traditionally weighs in the voting. Conversely, Lamine Yamal and Fabian Ruiz can rely on their World Cup title, in addition to their respective domestic titles in La Liga and Ligue 1.

Defending champion Ousmane Dembélé is among the most serious favourites for his own succession, as is his PSG teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The 2024 winner, Rodri, could also spring a surprise, and Lionel Messi harbours ambitions of a historic ninth title.

The answer will be known on 26 October in London.