The disappointment of losing in the World Cup semi-finals will still be difficult for England captain Harry Kane to forget.
However, his six goals and one assist at the tournament, combined with an excellent season for Bayern Munich, have made him one of the leading candidates to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Kane has produced outstanding numbers since joining the German giants, scoring 146 goals in 147 appearances. During that period, he helped Bayern win two Bundesliga titles, the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup and the German Cup.
Individually, Kane has finished as the Bundesliga’s top scorer in all three of his seasons in Germany. Last season, he scored an impressive 36 goals in 31 league appearances.
Overall, the England striker recorded 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country last season, putting him in a strong position in the race for football’s biggest individual award.
Ballon d’Or race: Spain stars close behind Kane
Spain’s World Cup final victory over Argentina has also strengthened the Ballon d’Or chances of two of their biggest stars, Lamine Yamal and Rodri, who are among Kane’s main rivals.
Lamine Yamal, 19, won La Liga with Barcelona before helping Spain lift their second World Cup title.
The teenager finished second behind Ousmane Dembele in last year’s Ballon d’Or. He also scored 25 goals for club and country last season, although he found the net only once during the World Cup.
His Spain teammate Rodri, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 after helping Manchester City win the Premier League and Spain lift Euro 2024, is another strong candidate.
The 30-year-old made only 17 Premier League starts last season while recovering from a serious knee injury. Manchester City lost the league title to Arsenal, but Rodri featured in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals as City completed a domestic double.
Rodri then started every match for Spain at the World Cup and was named the tournament’s Golden Ball winner, strengthening his case for a second Ballon d’Or.
Ballon d’Or 2026: Could Golden Boot help Mbappe?
Kylian Mbappe also suffered World Cup disappointment as France finished fourth, but the Real Madrid forward still enjoyed an excellent individual tournament.
Mbappe won the Golden Boot for the second World Cup in a row, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists.
He scored twice against England in the third-place play-off and finished the tournament two goals ahead of Lionel Messi in the scoring charts.
Mbappe was also in excellent form for Real Madrid last season. He finished with 58 goals in 60 appearances for club and country, including 15 Champions League goals to become the competition’s top scorer.
However, Real Madrid ended the season without a major trophy after Barcelona beat them to the La Liga title and also defeated them in the Spanish Super Cup final.
The 27-year-old’s best Ballon d’Or result remains third place in 2023, when Lionel Messi won the award for a record eighth time.
Messi remains in the Ballon d’Or race
Lionel Messi also remains an outside candidate to win what would be an incredible 9th Ballon d’Or.
Messi last won the award in 2023. He has also finished second six times during his legendary career, including behind Kaka in 2007 and during each of Cristiano Ronaldo’s five victories.
At the age of 39, Messi played an important role in helping Argentina reach their second consecutive World Cup final. He recorded eight goals and four assists, finishing behind Mbappe in the Golden Boot race.
Given his age, this could be Messi’s final opportunity to win football’s most famous individual award and add a 9th Ballon d’Or to his historic collection.
