Ballon d'Or 2026: Yamal and Kane lead, Mbappé relegated to third place

Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane are reportedly the two major favorites for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, relegating Kylian Mbappé to a distant third place. This is what specialist X account The Touchline claims, asserting it has confirmation of this hierarchy without specifying which of the two occupies first place.

“Confirmed: Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane are the two main contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or. The battle for the trophy will be fought between them alone,” the English media stated. Votes from the 100 international journalists authorized to designate the winner closed on September 28.

This information aligns with trends observed among British bookmakers, who have placed the Spanish prodigy from FC Barcelona and the English striker from Bayern Munich neck and neck at the top of the odds for several weeks. It excludes, at least from the top of the ranking, other names regularly mentioned such as Rodri, Lionel Messi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Fabian Ruiz.

On the French media side, Cyril Hanouna offered his own version on his show Tout beau tout neuf, announcing the final victory of Lamine Yamal ahead of Harry Kane. According to him, Rodri would complete the podium, Kvaratskhelia would finish fourth, just ahead of defending champion Ousmane Dembélé and Mbappé.

These remain unofficial leaks and speculation, however consistent they may be. The final verdict and complete ranking for this 2026 edition will be revealed on October 26 at the ceremony organized by France Football at the Palladium Theatre in London.