Champions League
Will the World Cup Final tilt the Ballon d'Or race?
The combatants in the UEFA Champions League Final and the summer international hardware usually go a long way toward determining the Ballon d'Or winner, and PSG's repeat European Cup win over Arsenal opened the door for serious stars to become front‑runners, yet the World Cup has always been likely to play an outsized role.
The final featured no Argentine player and only a pair of Spain players in the UCL Team of the Season, underscoring how the European showdown left room for other narratives to shape the award.
For most of this World Cup, it looked like Kylian Mbappé would earn his coronation as a first‑time Ballon d'Or winner, a prospect that still lingers despite a long list of possible contenders.
In 2025 voting, France and PSG star Ousmane Démbele won the Ballon d'Or in a mild surprise, beating teenager Lamine Yamal; the top ten also included Vitinha, Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, Achraf Hakimi, Mbappé, Cole Palmer, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Nuno Mendes.
World Cup insights push Manchester City toward a midfield overhaul
Before the World Cup Final, the strongest cases for 2026 were Kylian Mbappé (PSG and France), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England), Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway), Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal and Norway), Declan Rice (Arsenal and England) and Achraf Hakimi (PSG and Morocco). Mbappé finishes the season without a team honour but leads the Champions League and La Liga in goals and could add a Golden Boot at the World Cup; Kane helped guide England into the semifinals and scored 61 goals in 51 club games; Ødegaard won the Premier League and was a Champions League runner‑up with Arsenal; Haaland secured a domestic cup double with Manchester City and powered Norway to the quarter‑finals; Rice was a key piece of Arsenal's run and vital for England; Hakimi won a second‑straight Champions League and drove Morocco to another World Cup quarter‑final. Players who could seize the Ballon d'Or lead with a World Cup win include Fabian Ruiz (PSG and Spain), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan and Argentine), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami and Argentine), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain) and Rodri (Manchester City and Spain). Messi, tied for the Golden Boot lead, has been torching MLS backs before his World Cup magic; Martínez led Serie A in goals for a second year, assisted Argentina's 90th‑minute winner against Egypt, scored the extra‑time goal in a 3‑1 win over Switzerland and headed the comeback winner over England; Yamal, who turned 19 this month, posted 24 goals and 18 assists in 45 games as Barcelona won La Liga; Rodri, back from an ACL injury, has shown he deserves a second Ballon d'Or; and Ruiz, after missing three months with a knee injury, still helped PSG win the Champions League. The list of potential winners remains long, and the World Cup Final will likely be the decisive moment that pushes one name ahead of the rest.