Who are the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or?

Which players are the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or? Discover the odds for the leading footballers to win the award, including Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal!

Over the course of the last year, we’ve seen some of the world’s best footballers go head-to-head to compete for some of the biggest prizes in both club and international football. From the highs of global tournaments like the World Cup to the season-long battles in the best leagues across Europe, there have been standout performances placing a handful of elite footballers into contention for the Ballon d’Or.

Regardless of which tournament or competition these individual performances have come from, it’s the players’ outstanding consistency across the campaign that sets them apart as the award’s leading contenders.

But who are the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or?

In the following blog, we’ve discussed the Ballon d’Or betting odds and picked out the frontrunners to win the award, highlighting why they are heavy favourites to take home the most coveted individual prize in football.

Which players are favourites to win the Ballon d’Or?

Below are the players leading the race to win the Ballon d’Or in 2026:

Harry Kane

Combining a highly successful Bundesliga campaign with runs to the Champions League and World Cup semi-finals, Harry Kane has no doubt been one of, if not the best, footballers on the planet over the last year. Despite being known for finding the back of the net, Kane’s goalscoring impressed nonetheless, hitting heights that surprised even his biggest of supporters.

England’s number nine managed to win a domestic treble with his club Bayern Munich, lifting the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and the German Supercup, alongside reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, only losing to the eventual winners PSG.

He also put in elite performances against the likes of DR Congo during the World Cup, massively helping England in their journey to a third-place finish.

Looking at all this, it’s no surprise that Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or odds 1/2 are so favourable.

Lamine Yamal

Another unsurprising inclusion in the Ballon d’Or conversation is the Spanish wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

Since entering the spotlight at just 16 years of age, Yamal’s profile in world football has only grown bigger and better. His 2025/26 campaign saw him lift both the La Liga title and the Supercopa, helping Barcelona secure a domestic double.

Then in his first-ever World Cup campaign, he went on to lift the title, adding a second international trophy to his rapidly growing list of honours at just 19 years old.

Yamal also put in some incredible performances, with his hat-trick against Villarreal in February making him the youngest player of the 21st century to net one in La Liga!

After the season he’s had, Lamine Yamal’s Ballon d’Or odds 3/2 are rightly encouraging.

Will we see a first-time Ballon d’Or winner?

Yes, most likely! Since the era of Messi and Ronaldo’s dominance came to an end, the debate of who might win the Ballon d’Or is much more open than it has been previously.

Considering that the two frontrunners are Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal, we’re almost guaranteed to see a new Ballon d’Or winner.

Even if someone with longer odds to win the award, such as Kylian Mbappe 22/1 , went on to lift the trophy, we’d have a first-time winner despite him being so renowned in world football.

There’s a very slim chance that Lionel Messi 25/1 goes on to lift a record ninth Ballon d’Or after his impressive World Cup with Argentina. He may have scored eight times and reached the final, but as he’s more of an outsider in the football betting markets, it’s unlikely.