6 leading stars who can use the 2026 World Cup to win this year’s Ballon d’Or

Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Fabio Cannavaro, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane… In World Cup years, having a great tournament has traditionally had a major bearing on Ballon d’Or voting.

There’s a good chance that tradition will continue in 2026, with star names from England, France and Spain among the favourites for France Football’s prestigious Golden Ball award this year.

Here are six players who could stake a major claim for the 2026 Ballon d’Or if they perform to their full potential out in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

You’d have to say that Kane would be a worthy winner if we were exclusively looking at club performances this season. He’s been on another level compared to almost everyone else in world football over the past eight months or so.

Forty-eight(!) goals in just 40 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich this season is testament to that. And it’s for that reason that England are among the favourites this summer.

Thomas Tuchel is blessed with quality options throughout the squad, although there are some question marks over form elsewhere .

If the Three Lions captain can maintain his Bayern form and help bring it home, we’ll surely see a first English Ballon d’Or winner since Michael Owen a quarter of a century ago.

One of Kane’s few challengers for this season’s European Golden Shoe, Mbappe is hitting new heights in terms of his goalscoring numbers.

And he’s scored in each of his last each of his last seven appearances for France. Keep up that goal-a-game average this summer, and Les Bleus will have a great chance.

Mbappe was a rising star but not a senior superstar when he won it in 2018. His team-mate Antoine Griezmann beat him to the podium last summer, while Champions League winners Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo claimed first and second respectively.

He surely would’ve won it ahead of Messi in 2023 if the penalty shootout in Qatar had gone the other way. As it was, he had to settle for third after scoring a hat-trick in the final.

Winning the World Cup would probably rubberstamp it for Mbappe this year, but Michael Olise or the current holder might be in with a shout depending on how the remainder of the European club season ends.

Yamal finished runner-up last year – and that was only after winning domestic honours with Barcelona.

The teenager’s remarkable rise has seen him earn superstar, headline-dominating status already. And that’s probably fair enough.

Spain are the favourites for the World Cup, coming into the tournament on the ascendancy as European champions… Just as they did in 2010.

Unlike that era-defining 2010 La Roja side, this one has one clear superstar. That wasn’t quite the case after South Africa, after the likes of Xavi and Iniesta split the vote and ended up behind their Barcelona team-mate Messi on the Ballon d’Or podium.

It was only as recently as 1995 that the Ballon d’Or began allowing non-European winners.

But in that relatively short period, there’s a rich history of Brazilians getting their hands on the award. Ronaldo Nazario’s 2002 success remains the gold standard for Brazilian winners – lifted on the back of standing tall on the biggest stage of all.

It’s almost 20 years since we’ve seen a winner from the great football-obsessed nation, a period during which Neymar moved to PSG in pursuit of the awardand Vinicius Junior threw an almighty strop over being snubbed.

Vini has struggled to match Neymar on the international stage, but he has a chance to eclipse Ney’s legacy after vowing “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready,” following his 2024 Ballon d’Or snub.

Carlo Ancelotti appears set to leave Neymar out this summer. There’ll be other stars for the Selecao, but relying on Vinicius Junior as the main man to step up in high-pressure do-or-die games has worked out alright for him before .

Wildcard #1.

Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or thanks to his last World Cup. Could he make it nine?

Almost certainly not. It’s been four years and a Maradona-esque individual tournament like he produced out in Qatar is surely beyond even him at the age of 38.

But never say never. He was exceptional in 2025 and looked pretty bright in his last friendly appearance for Argentina.

No player who has spent the entirety of the eligibility period playing outside Europe’s top leagues has even been nominated for the Ballon d’Or since a young Neymar in 2011. But the thought of one last dance is irresistible.

Wildcard #2.

Haaland’s hopes of a first Ballon d’Or probably died following his goal-shy start to 2026 and Man City’s early Champions League elimination.

But he was the top scorer in World Cup qualifying as Norway booked their first World Cup this century. When his nation made their last appearance at the finals (France ’98), he hadn’t even been born yet.

If he can do something truly extraordinary and fire Norway to an all-time unforgettable underdog run – think Modric’s Croatia and getting to the final in 2018 – then he might just re-enter the conversation.