Harry Kane has been crowned the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner, beating the likes of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe to football’s most prestigious individual award.
But we’re already looking ahead to the 2027 Ballon d’Or, with superstar names from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich making excellent starts to the 2026-27 campaign.
Everything from this season counts towards next year’s award, so we can start making some early judgements.
Here’s our early power rankings for the 2027 Ballon d’Or:
10. Martin Odegaard ()
Arsenal were outstanding last season, a penalty shootout away from being the European champions, and yet nobody is earnestly discussing any of their individuals for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
That’s because they didn’t really have any outstanding candidates, with their strength all about the collective ethos instilled by Mikel Arteta. Declan Rice was probably the closest thing to a standout, but he’s miles off being in the conversation.
Next year could be different. Arsenal still look like one of the best teams in Europe, although they’ve reverted to looking like a defensively formidable, occasionally stodgy outfit rather than one that’s particularly free-flowing in attack.
Odegaard started the season in scintillating form, quickly quadrupling his tally of goals from last term, but he’s gone a little quiet in recent weeks. He’s clinging on to his place in our top 10 for now.
If he doesn’t pull his finger out soon, we might have to replace him with Gabriel. The Brazilian defender is looking like a more fitting representative of what makes this Arsenal side so difficult to beat.
9. Ousmane Dembele (NEW)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is already out of the running after suffering an ACL injury that could sideline him until next season. Absolute sickener for one of the most exhilarating wingers in the world.
Dembele was also forced off against Barcelona, and his performances so far have done little to suggest he’s mounting a serious challenge.
But this is PSG. Their superb display against Barca showed he’ll have a platform to challenge again once fit. Luis Enrique knows how to keep him fresh for when it matters most.
8. Jude Bellingham ()
You’ll notice Rodri’s name absent from this list.
We maintain that he’s the best midfielder on the planet, and he’s seamlessly slotted in at Barcelona and made them look even better, but our logic is that if the Catalan club go on to achieve great things this season, it won’t be him getting the individual accolades.
Which is probably fair enough, when you consider what their forwards are doing.
You could make a similar argument against Bellingham. If Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid win La Liga, or the Champions League, then you know who’ll be the frontrunner. He’s made no secret of his belief that he deserves it.
But Bellingham is a bit flashier than Rodri, has made some eye-catching contributions already, and Mourinho appears to understand the best use for him. Winning the thing is probably beyond him, but a podium placing isn’t out of the question if Los Blancos achieve something special.
You only needed to look at Bellingham’s performance in England’s 7-0 demolition of Croatia to see he’s comfortably one of the 10 best footballers on the planet.
7. Vitinha ()
A midfielder who has been a deserved presence at the top end of the Ballon d’Or rankings over the past couple of seasons. He remains a key cog for threepeat-chasing PSG.
Then you look at Portugal and they might just be the team they ought to be now that Jorge Jesus has ostracised a certain quadragenarian. With Vitinha pulling the strings in midfield, who bets against them retaining their Nations League crown next summer?
Vitinha’s performances in PSG’s big, statement victories over Manchester City and Barcelona show he’s the man for the big occasion. You’d be daft to write him off come the knockouts.
6. Erling Haaland (=)
Talk about a can of worms.
It’s Haaland. He’s one of the most potent goalscorers in history and comfortably one of the best players in the world right now. In ordinary circumstances, of course he can challenge for the Ballon d’Or.
But these are not ordinary circumstances. God knows where Haaland, or Manchester City, will be this time next year. What a mess.
5. Raphinha ()
Purely on merit and output, there’s a strong argument that Raphinha should still be No.1.
His reinvention as a centre-forward reminds us of the last guy who won it. Not only is he finishing chances, but he works with a tireless intensity, leads from the front, and makes the team as a whole that much better.
But he’s fallen victim to the fast-moving nature of football. A knock suffered on international duty has stalled his momentum, while some of the game’s more established superstars have taken the opportunity to remind us of their brilliance.
Things can change quickly in the Ballon d’Or race, though. He could be back among the top contenders if he can maintain his pre-injury hot streak.
READ: Comparing the stats of the main 2027 Ballon d’Or contenders: Kane, Yamal, Olise, Raphinha, Mbappe…
4. Michael Olise ()
Ninth in the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Not bad going, but you could make a strong case that Michael Olise deserved to finish considerably higher.
The Frenchman remains strangely underrated in conversations about the best footballers on the planet, despite being named Bundesliga Player of the Season last term. Perhaps a top-10 finish will finally get him the recognition he deserves.
His performances during the recent international break were a reminder of his extraordinary talent. Olise was astonishingly good for Les Bleus, notching four goals and two assists from just 211 minutes of action.
In a year where club achievements will be paramount, Vincent Kompany and the perennial Bundesliga champions offer Olise a solid platform to challenge for the award.
You could argue that he’s Bayern’s best player. If the Bavarians go all the way in Europe, which is certainly possible, he might just outshine the current holder.
And look out for next summer’s Nations League knockout tournament. France, like England, Spain and Portugal, have already booked their place. That could be a trump card if everything’s tight following the conclusion of the 2026-27 club season.
3. Harry Kane (=)
He deservedly has his hands on the Ballon d’Or. Now the question is whether he can become the first player since Lionel Messi to win it back-to-back.
Talking individual achievements in the 2025-26 European season, no one could really hold a candle to Kane, who won a domestic treble and was streets ahead of the competition when it came to goals scored.
The World Cup threatened to throw a spanner in the works, but ultimately the England captain’s extraordinary club campaign was enough to see him over the line.
Can he do it all again? Being on double figures of goals already shows Kane won’t be going anywhere.
Just the six goals for England in the recent international break, too. The best goalscorer on the planet has shown no signs of slowing down.
2. Lamine Yamal ()
What can you say about a teenager who has already won a European Championship and World Cup?
One who is already among Barcelona’s best players, a key man under Hansi Flick as they’ve claimed back-to-back La Liga titles?
The scary thing is that all the evidence from early in this season is that Yamal looks like taking the biggest leap forward of his career to date. Just the eight goals and six assists so far, in 10 matches, for Barcelona.
He’s looked every bit as unstoppable for Spain, too.
But there’s still room for improvement. Yamal was relatively quiet in Barcelona’s two biggest tests of the season so far, against PSG and Real Madrid, offering only fleeting glimpses of his extraordinary talent.
That’s not to take away from his otherwise excellent start to the campaign, but he’ll need to make more of an impact in the biggest matches if he’s to lead Barcelona to major silverware and get his hands on the Ballon d’Or.
Still, watch Yamal at his best and it’s hard to see him as anything other than the best footballer in the world right now. The comparisons with a certain someone are becoming unavoidable.
1. Kylian Mbappe ()
“I really want the Ballon d’Or to return to Real Madrid,” Mbappe recently told .
“It needs to come back to the Bernabeu, to the Madridistas, to return for all those people and give them something to be excited about. They deserve it more than anyone.”
Mbappe and Real Madrid certainly pushed his candidacy for the 2026 award. They’ve got the PR machine for it, and a career-best runner-up finish suggests their efforts weren’t entirely in vain.
he deserved to finish quite so high, but next year might be a different story.
He’s continuing to score goals at a ridiculous rate, with his brace in the Clasico victory over Barcelona the latest evidence. More importantly, that result offered a glimpse of a Real Madrid side that might finally be capable of challenging for the biggest trophies under Jose Mourinho.
That’s surely the missing piece of the puzzle. Mbappe has the individual numbers, the reputation and the Madrid PR machine behind him. If Mourinho can deliver La Liga or the Champions League, it’s difficult to imagine anyone stopping him.
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