With the 2026 Ballon d’Or award set to be presented to soccer’s top performer — as determined by France Football magazine — next Monday in London, there’s no better time to take a crack at ranking the Top 20 players in the game.
Many of those listed below have been nominated for the most coveted individual prize on Planet Fútbol, though while the Ballon d’Or voters can only consider achievements from early August 2025 to July 19 of this year, the day Spain beat Argentina in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this list reflects who ranks where right now.
Manchester City | France
(Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
The Manchester City winger’s ball skills are as dazzling as they come, and the end-product (4 goals, 2 assists in six Premier League contests) has been there this season, too.
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Barcelona | Brazil
(Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Well on his way to becoming one of the best Eucadorian players ever, Pacho is already one of soccer’s top central defenders; his partnership with PSG captain Marquinhos continues to be the best in Europe by some distance.
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PSG | Rep. of Georgia
(Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
The 24-year-old from Portugal is the top left back in the world, though he’s out for the next few weeks because of a thigh injury suffered in PSG’s 2-1 win over Strasbourg last weekend.
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Arsenal | Spain
(Photo by Maynard Manyowa/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The veteran right back remains the best around at his position and, at only 27, one of the best, period. Before helping PSG repeat as European champs last spring, Hakimi captained Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, which the Atlas Lions won after Senegal was later ruled to have forfeited.
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PSG | Portugal
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Although he wasn’t a full-time starter for Spain during the World Cup, he created more chances than any other La Roja player at the tournament. His introduction off the bench in extra time was the spark that led to Ferran Torres’s trophy-clinching goal.
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Arsenal | Brazil
(Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
The Real Madrid star was England’s emotional leader and, with all respect to Kane, its best player in leading his country to a bronze medal at the 2026 World Cup, the Three Lions highest finish since 1966. He has three goals and three assists in nine La Liga matches.
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PSG | France
(Photo by Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Long the face of England’s greatest generation of players since the Three Lions’ lone World Cup win more than 60 years ago now, the classy center forward is probably on the downslope of his career at age 33.
Yet he remains the game’s best pure scorer this side of Erling Haaland, having bagged six to the Norwegian’s seven at the 2026 tourney.
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Barcelona | Spain
(Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
How can Messi not be here after the GOAT, who turned 39 during the World Cup, scored eight goals to help Argentina reach the final for the second time in four years? Only Kylian Mbappé, his ninth and 10th strikes came against England’s backups in the glorified friendly known as the match for third place, was more prolific.
Messi was the best player on the field in the Albiceleste’s 2-1 win over England in the semis and his country’s top performer in the extra-time defeat to Spain in the finale. The face of Inter Miami is also the runaway scoring leader in MLS, with five more goals than any other player despite featuring in fewer matches.
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Manchester City | Norway
(Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
The Golden Ball recipient as the World Cup’s MVP, Rodri is clearly in the running to reclaim the award he somewhat surprisingly took home in 2024 while playing for Manchester City.
Rodri returned to Spain in August to play for Barcelona, turning an already-legitimate contender for the Champions League title into the sports books’ outright favorite.
While the main knock on Rodri’s candidacy is that he missed most of last season with a torn ACL while with CIty, that only makes his recent accomplishments more impressive.
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Bayern Munich | France
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The 27-year-old Frenchman claimed his second straight World Cup Golden Boot award over the summer, netting 10 times as Les Bleus finished fourth this summer. He continues to score at will in his third season with Real Madrid; Mbappé has 11 goals in as many La Liga and UEFA Champions League games ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Leipzig.
Though he hasn’t yet won a European or Spanish title since leaving hometown club PSG for Madrid, his case for the Ballon d’Dor is strong. So don’t be surprised if he collects the honor for the first time following nine career nominations.
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Barcelona | Spain
(Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
