Harry Kane has been installed as the bookmakers' favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or, with Lamine Yamal, Rodri and several of Spain's World Cup winners also among the leading contenders for football's top individual prize. The award will be officially announced on October 26.
Performances at the World Cup have shaped the betting, according to odds from SkyBet, with Spain players climbing the list after their side's triumph at the tournament. Reigning Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele is also in the running as he bids to become the first back-to-back winner in years.
Harry Kane leads the betting at evens
Kane, the Bayern Munich number nine and England captain, is the evens favourite to become the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the Ballon d'Or, after the best statistical season of his career. The 33-year-old scored 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern last season, helping the club to a domestic double and a Champions League semi-final.
Bayern lost that semi-final to Paris Saint-Germain, but Kane scored in both legs, having also scored against Real Madrid in the previous round. He was equally prolific for England at the World Cup, scoring six goals including two braces as Thomas Tuchel's side reached the semi-finals, though his limited involvement in the semi-final defeat by Argentina could count against him.
Lamine Yamal chasing history at 9/4
Yamal, the Barcelona and Spain forward, is priced at 9/4 and could become the first teenager to win the Ballon d'Or. The 19-year-old won La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup and the World Cup since the start of last season, scoring 16 goals and adding 12 assists in 28 La Liga games, plus six goals and four assists in the Champions League.
Injury cut short the end of his club season, but Yamal recovered in time for the World Cup, starting all but one game for Spain. He scored only once at the tournament but repeatedly drew defenders and won free kicks and penalties, opening space for teammates.
Rodri in contention after World Cup heroics
Spain's World Cup-winning captain Rodri is priced at 9/2 despite a season disrupted by injuries that kept him out for roughly half of the Premier League campaign. When fit, he was outstanding, and he was named the World Cup's Player of the Tournament after starring in victories over France in the semi-final and Argentina in the final.
Mbappe and Messi still in the mix
Kylian Mbappe, at 6/1, went another season without a trophy but scored 42 goals in 44 games for Real Madrid, including 15 in 11 Champions League matches to finish as the competition's top scorer. He also won the World Cup Golden Boot with ten goals, ahead of Lionel Messi, and became the outright leading scorer in World Cup history. A lack of silverware may still hold him back.
Messi, at 8/1, could claim a ninth Ballon d'Or despite Argentina losing the World Cup final. He scored a hat-trick against Algeria and contributed goals or assists in all but one of Argentina's matches, finishing with eight goals and four assists at the tournament. He also led Inter Miami to their first MLS Cup title in late 2025, scoring six goals and providing seven assists in six play-off games.
Dembele bids for back-to-back award
Dembele, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner at 12/1, has been transformed under Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain after years of criticism earlier in the decade. He won the Champions League for a second successive year, scoring the equaliser from the penalty spot in the final against Arsenal, his 20th goal of the season. He also scored six goals at the World Cup, including a hat-trick against Norway, though France's semi-final exit to Spain may weigh against him.
Bellingham and Spain's outsiders
Jude Bellingham, at 14/1, drove England toward the World Cup final in a display likened to Roberto Baggio's for Italy at the 1994 tournament. Like his Real Madrid teammate Mbappe, he ends the season without a trophy, registering 13 goals and assists in 40 games, which is likely to limit his chances.
Two more Spain players from the World Cup-winning squad are viewed as outsiders. Defender Pau Cubarsi, at 16/1, was named Best Young Player at the tournament after Spain conceded just one goal on their way to the title.
Midfielder Fabian Ruiz, at 18/1, won both the World Cup and the Champions League this year. He managed fewer than ten combined goals and assists across the club season and World Cup, but was preferred to Pedri by coach Luis de la Fuente in the later stages of the tournament and stood out alongside Joao Neves and Vitinha in PSG's midfield. Across 1,131 minutes in Ligue 1 last season, Ruiz maintained a 91.5 per cent passing accuracy, ranked in the 99th percentile for progressive passes completed among midfielders, and in the 82nd percentile for both key passes and chances created.
