French favoritism fuels Mbappé's push for the 2026 Ballon d'Or

Two weeks before the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, interest in football's most prestigious individual award is soaring; while France Football readers name him a favorite, bookmakers place him one step behind Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane.

Readers' and experts' preferences

France Football, the magazine that created the award seventy years ago, shows in its poll that Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé is the top favorite among its readers. In contrast, the official vote, now closed, involved one hundred journalists from around the world, without yet revealing the result.

Bookmakers agree that Mbappé is behind Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane, but they include him in the top‑5 alongside Rodri and Leo Messi. The 20minutos poll published in September places Yamal at 31.27 % of the votes, followed by Messi and, further back, Mbappé.

Collective achievements versus individual

The main obstacle for Mbappé is collective achievements: in the 2025/2026 season, the period evaluated for the Ballon, he did not win any title with either Real Madrid or the French national team. In contrast, Yamal won the league, the Spanish Super Cup and the World Cup, while Kane lifted the Bundesliga, the Pokal and the German Super Cup.

Ballon d’Or: Papin drops Mbappé for Kane

On an individual level, Mbappé's candidacy is stronger. He was the top scorer in LaLiga, the Champions League and the World Cup, tallying 21 goals in total and ten in the 2026 edition. Kane, for his part, scored more total goals and in decisive moments of the major tournaments.

The official voting criteria include individual performance, collective achievements, and class and fair play. The debate over what is being rewarded persists: some argue that the award recognizes the “best in the world,” while others maintain that it values the season's performance.

Mbappé tops L’Équipe poll as Yamal misses Balón de Oro podium

In short, the French public's favoritism and the poll positions contrast with Mbappé's lack of collective titles, keeping the race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or open and contentious.