The winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or will be announced on Monday and, as it stands, it's not yet clear who will take home the most coveted individual honour in football.
There are three obvious frontrunners, in Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, but there are three former recipients in the chasing pack, Ousmane Dembele, Rodri and eight-time winner Lionel Messi, while Michael Olise and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are legitimate dark horses.
Indeed, what makes this year's race so interesting is the fact that nobody has a cast-iron case, and it's very easy to make an argument both in favour and against each and every contender...
The winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or will be announced on Monday and, as it stands, it's not yet clear who will take home the most coveted individual honour in football.
There are three obvious frontrunners, in Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, but there are three former recipients in the chasing pack, Ousmane Dembele, Rodri and eight-time winner Lionel Messi, while Michael Olise and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are legitimate dark horses.
Indeed, what makes this year's race so interesting is the fact that nobody has a cast-iron case, and it's very easy to make an argument both in favour and against each and every contender...
