Ballon d’Or 2026: the race drags on between Mbappé and the outsiders

Unusually, while the 2026 World Cup awarded Rodri and Lionel Messi the honors of best players of the tournament, the race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or remains completely undecided, and Kylian Mbappé already tops an internal poll at RC Strasbourg.

World Cup stars with quiet club seasons

Rodri and Lionel Messi, named as the two best players of the World Cup, have nevertheless experienced quiet club seasons, far from the spotlight. Their individual performances in the league were not enough to place them among the Ballon d’Or favorites.

Created in 1956, the individual award has always reflected the major competitions, and the imprint of the World Cup can be felt on the honours list of this 2026 edition.

The vote of journalists and players

France Football selected one hundred international journalists, one for each country in the top 100 of the FIFA ranking, to compile their top‑10. There are still a few days left before the poll closes, with the winner to be revealed on Monday 26 October in London. The result could have differed if the vote had been entrusted to the players, who are less attentive to decisive performance criteria.

In the locker room of RC Strasbourg, an internal poll puts Mbappé at the top, and player Gessime Yassine, with his Marseille accent, declares: « It’s Mbappé who will take it, he’s too good ». The Alsatian club, very international, gathered the opinions of several teammates.

Mbappé refuses to extend his French career until age 41

The star player of Real Madrid and the French national team, top scorer of La Liga, the Champions League and the 2026 World Cup, has nevertheless not won any trophy this season. He enjoys the support of former French international Ismaël Doukouré, Costa Rican Jeyland Mitchell, youngster Tyrese Noubissie and Gessime Yassine.

Lionel Messi also receives four votes among the Strasbourg players, a result backed by the Argentinians Joaquin “Oso” Martinez and Mateo Del Blanco, who celebrate the “best of history”. The same support comes from Senegalese Pape Demba Diop and Costa Rican Jeyland Mitchell.

Lamine Yamal benefits from the vote of Portuguese Dario Essugo, English Samuel Amo‑Ameyaw and Swedish Genesis Antwi, showing the interest of young talents in the award.

Only Giovanni Reyna, an American international based in Germany since 2019, mentions Harry Kane, while Rodri does not appear in any voting mention.

This contrast between the dazzling World Cup performances and the votes that favour Mbappé and Yamal highlights the volatility of the 2026 Ballon d’Or, foreshadowing a reassessment of traditional criteria at the announcement in London.