The Ballon d'Or 2026 awards ceremony takes place on October 26th and the race is on to be crowned this year's winner. 30 players are in contention to win the most prestigious individual accolade in men's football including former winners such as Ousmane Dembele who took top spot on the podium last year.
There is a good chance a new name is written on the award once the ceremony concludes in London. Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal are two of the favourites with the bookmakers.
The Ballon d'Or won't be the only award on offer on the night though. France Football will also name this year's Men's Young Talent of the Year winner and Men's Goalkeeper of the Year.
With that said, we've assessed the players from all three categories and decided on a best XI factoring in their performances and success during 2025-26.
Goalkeeper: David Raya - Arsenal & Spain
While David Raya remains understudy to Unai Simon at international level, the Spaniard is one of the most influential members of Arsenal's team. He is starting to cement his legacy as one of the finest shot-stoppers in Premier League history.
Raya kept 19 clean sheets in 37 top-flight games for the Gunners, helping them win the title for the first time since 2004. Mikel Arteta's side are deemed the best defensive team in Europe but they also boast quite possibly the best goalkeeper too.
Right-Back: Achraf Hakimi - PSG & Morocco
There is only one viable option at right-back but Achraf Hakimi undoubtedly deserves his place in this team. The Moroccan continues to star in a star-studded PSG side who retained their European title along with winning yet another Ligue 1 title.
Whether it's surging down the channel to help his attacker out or putting out fires, there are no real flaws in Hakimi's game. He also impressed during the World Cup, using his experience as one of the leaders in the Atlas Lions' group.
Centre-Back: Pau Curbarsi - Barcelona & Spain
The winner of the Young Player of the Tournament at the World Cup, Pau Cubarsi is showing maturity beyond his years. It's easy to forget that he's just 19 as he plays with so much confidence, never fazed by world class attacking opposition.
Cubarsi isn't nominated for the Ballon d'Or but he'll be competing for the Young Talent of the Year award. He faces heavy competition but his exploits over the summer might lead to victory.
Centre-Back: Gabriel Magalhaes - Arsenal & Brazil
A disappointing World Cup aside, Gabriel Magalhaes is one of the best defenders in the world. He proved it last season for Arsenal, not just helping the Gunners keep forwards at bay but also providing a devastating threat from set-pieces.
The Brazilian's partnership with William Saliba is starting to rival Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic as the best in Premier League history. On club campaign alone, he takes his place in this Ballon d'Or XI.
Left-Back: Nuno Mendes - PSG & Portugal
There are two left-backs nominated for the main award and Nuno Mendes just takes the position in this team over Marc Cucurella. While the latter shined at the World Cup, the former thrived during the 2025-26 season both domestically and in Europe.
Mendes has become a Luis Enrique favourite because of his work ethic and unbelievable pace. He is a real talent whom any manager would love to be able to call upon.
Midfield: Rodri - Barcelona & Spain
Rodri headed into the World Cup with many questioning whether he'd fully recover from his ACL injury. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner looked to have regressed at Manchester City last season, certainly by his high standards.
How foolish were we to doubt the best defensive midfielder of the modern era. He put in arguably the best midfield performance ever seen at the biggest tournament in world football to claim the trophy as the tournament's best player.
Midfield: Joao Neves - PSG & Portugal
There are three PSG midfielders who all probably deserve their place in this XI but Joao Neves' display in the Champions League final is hard to ignore. The Portuguese midfielder is just 21 but he dominates opposition midfielders with ease while possessing a sublime passing range.
Fabian Ruiz might have won every trophy on offer for club and country but he sat out periods of PSG's campaign through injury. Vitinha didn't quite reach the heights of the 2024-25 campaign unlike Neves who remained at the top of his game.
Attacking Midfield: Michael Olise - Bayern Munich & France
Registering 53 goals contributions in 52 games across competitions is simply ridiculous and Michael Olise did just that. The Bayern Munich winger doesn't do normal either as he pulls off the most audacious pieces of trickery to set a teammate up or a thunderbolt such as his strike against Real Madrid.
There are some outstanding attacking midfielders vying to become this year's Ballon d'Or winner. Olise was the cream of the crop both for Bayern last season and France in the World Cup.
Right-Wing: Lamine Yamal - Barcelona & Spain
Lamine Yamal admitted that he wasn't happy with his performance at the World Cup despite Spain winning the tournament. He also insisted he believes he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or and he's definitely deserving of a top three finish.
The Camp Nou faithful are watching the rise of a superstar who is the heir to Lionel Messi they have been crying out for. This is reflected by the 19-year-old's nomination for both the main award and the young talent prize at next month's ceremony following a season in which he bagged 24 goals and 18 assists.
Striker: Harry Kane - Bayern Munich & England
No Englishman has won the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen back in 2001 and Harry Kane seems to be in pole position to end that drought. Only Messi has bettered his astonishing tally of 73 goals for club and country last season, and on those statistics, he should be handed the award.
Kane also ended Bayern's campaign with a second Bundesliga title along with breaking more records. A topsy-turvy World Cup still led to six goals for the Three Lions skipper.
Left-Wing: Kylian Mbappe - Real Madrid & France
Another one of Europe's prolific goalscorers, Kylian Mbappe, became the all-time top goalscorer in World Cup history during the summer. He won the Golden Boot with 10 goals, taking his overall tally to 22 goals in as many games.
Back at Real Madrid, he might have ended the season trophyless but not without scoring. In fact, he finished top of La Liga and the Champions League's goalscoring charts. Whenever he's on the pitch, you can't take your eyes off him.
