As soon as Spain won the 2026 World Cup title, media outlets began discussing the identity of this year's Ballon d'Or winner, with the duo Lamine Yamal and Rodri emerging at the forefront of predictions following historic performances in the tournament.
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Spain claimed its second historical title after a hard-fought 1–0 extra-time victory over Argentina, courtesy of substitute Ferran Torres's goal in the 106th minute, before 81,000 spectators at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
La Roja, led by national coach Luis de la Fuente, delivered a flawless campaign in the 2026 finals, conceding only one goal and never trailing in score throughout eight matches.
France Football Clarifies the Ballon d'Or Criteria
The official Ballon d'Or website wrote on Monday: "Now that the World Cup has concluded, an old rumor resurfaces that the Ballon d'Or winner must be a World Cup champion. Is this true?"
It added: "Winning the World Cup undoubtedly helps, but it does not guarantee winning the Ballon d'Or. To win it, you must be the best player across the entire season, not just in a single tournament."
France Football had previously outlined the three main criteria taken into account during voting:
Decisive individual performances
Team achievements
Sportsmanship and fair play
Voting for the Ballon d'Or is restricted exclusively to journalists to select the best player of the season—specifically covering the period running from August to July of the following year.
Accordingly, voting will evaluate players' performances across the entire 2025–2026 season in various competitions, such as domestic leagues and the UEFA Champions League, rather than solely during the World Cup.
Who Leads the 2026 Ballon d'Or Race Now?
According to GiveMeSport (GMS) performance metrics, Yamal currently leads the 2026 Ballon d'Or power rankings, followed by Harry Kane, who secured a domestic treble with Bayern Munich and reached the World Cup semifinals with England.
Lamine Yamal (Spain)
Harry Kane (England)
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Rodri Hernández (Spain)
Ousmane Dembélé (France)
Kylian Mbappé (France)
Michael Olise (France)
What Does History Say?
Only 7 players have won both the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or in the same year, beginning with England's Bobby Charlton and most recently Lionel Messi in 2022:
Bobby Charlton (England) – 1966
Paolo Rossi (Italy) – 1982
Lothar Matthäus (Germany) – 1990
Zinedine Zidane (France) – 1998
Ronaldo Nazário (Brazil) – 2002
Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) – 2006
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 2022
Note: Until 1995, the award was restricted exclusively to European players, which is why legends like Pelé and Diego Maradona never won it.
Interestingly, the World Cup winner subsequently claimed the Ballon d'Or in 4 of the last 7 editions: Zidane in 1998, Ronaldo in 2002, Cannavaro in 2006, and Messi in 2022.
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