The 2026 Ballon d\u2019Or conversation is already underway despite the trophy having just been awarded. Three different winners have emerged in the past four years, and next summer\u2019s World Cup in North America will be decisive for many candidates.<\/p>\n
Defenders remain rare winners, but Gabriel merits consideration after anchoring Arsenal\u2019s rearguard alongside William Saliba while contributing goals and assists. If Arsenal end a long trophy drought and Brazil succeed at the World Cup with Gabriel central to that campaign, he could enter the debate.<\/p>\n
Luis D\u00edaz has left Liverpool and settled quickly at Bayern Munich, where his work rate and goalscoring have made him a fan favorite. Bayern look set to dominate domestically and will expect D\u00edaz to play a major role in any Champions League push, though clubmates Michael Olise and Harry Kane present stiff competition for top individual honours.<\/p>\n
Mohamed Salah has not reproduced last season\u2019s extraordinary numbers and has struggled early in 2025\u201326. Liverpool\u2019s summer recruitment has diversified Arne Slot\u2019s attack, and Salah has not matched last season\u2019s heights. A strong second half and international success at the Africa Cup of Nations could revive his claim.<\/p>\n
Vitinha was third in the 2025 Ballon d\u2019Or for his role in Paris Saint-Germain\u2019s domestic and European run. He remains PSG\u2019s tempo-setter and a key figure for Portugal, who will be among the World Cup contenders.<\/p>\n
Bukayo Saka is central to Arsenal\u2019s promising season and is a guaranteed starter for England at the World Cup. If Arsenal collect multiple trophies he will be prominent in awards discussions.<\/p>\n
Lionel Messi could re-emerge as a frontrunner only if he inspires Argentina to retain the World Cup, a feat not achieved since Brazil in 1962. Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, Michael Olise, Pedri, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Yamal and Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 each have clear pathways laid out through club form and potential international success. Some face fitness issues or strong competition for votes, others need exceptional tournament performances. <\/p>\n
\u201cToday is not a victory for me, it is for Spanish football…\u201d Rodri said after claiming the prize in 2024, \u201c…for so many players who have not won it and have deserved it, like [Andr\u00e9s] Iniesta, Xavi [Hern\u00e1ndez], Iker [Casillas], Sergio Busquets, so many others. It is for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between domestic trophies and World Cup displays, the next year should clarify who will arrive in Paris as the front-runner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
World Cup dynamics and club form shape the 2026 Ballon d’Or race, with defenders and forwards. ahead<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[192,1017,1062,175,238,1031,987],"tags":[1211,1064,826],"class_list":["post-4512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal","category-barcelona","category-bayern-munich","category-liverpool","category-manchester-city","category-paris-saint-germain","category-real-madrid","tag-africa-cup-of-nations","tag-ballon-dor-2","tag-bukayo-saka"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}