The top five favourites to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or so far have been ranked.
Recall that Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele won the Golden Ball in 2025.
However, as reported by Sportskeeda, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who narrowly missed out on securing the Ballon d’Or in 2023 after finishing second to Lionel Messi, is the fifth favourite to win the prestigious top individual award this year.
The Norway international has been brilliant for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, scoring 29 goals and providing seven assists in 39 appearances across all competitions for the Cityzens to date.
In fourth position is Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise.
The 24-year-old former Crystal Palace winger has netted 13 goals and provided 25 assists in 36 appearances this season for Vincent Kompany’s side.
He has also become a starter for France, and he is expected to shine for the Les Bleus at the FIFA World Cup later this year.
In third place is Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who nearly became the youngest-ever footballer to win the Ballon d’Or after his runners-up finish behind Dembele last year.
Despite falling short, Yamal has shown no signs of slowing down and has scored 19 goals and provided 15 assists in 36 appearances across all competitions this season for Barcelona.
The Spain international helped Barcelona claim the Supercopa de Espana this season, and is on course to win the LaLiga title with Hansi Flick’s side.
In second position is Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe. The French forward has broken multiple individual records and has already netted 38 goals and registered six assists in 33 appearances in all competitions to date for the Los Blancos.
However, the 27-year-old will hope to bolster his chances by helping Real Madrid win both the LaLiga and Champions League this season and also lead France to succeed at the 2026 World Cup.
Finally, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane is the number one favourite to claim this year’s Ballon d’Or at the moment. The England captain is undoubtedly the most in-form striker in the world.
Kane has scored 45 goals and provided five assists in 37 appearances across all competitions this season for Bayern. He also helped them to win the German Super Cup, and he is on the right path to win the Bundesliga title.
