What is the story about?
It
was a superb year of soccer, with the 2026 World Cup, a thrilling UEFA Champions League campaign, and a number of league races coming down to the wire. So, who was the best of the best?
That is what the Ballon d'Or panelis tasked with deciding, ranking their 10 best individual players, with organizers tallying the votes and awarding the coveted prize to the player who had the best season.
Harry Kane won the prize, but the voting was close with many talented players finishing in the top 10.
Here is how the votes ended up:
How did the Ballon d'Or voting finish?
- 29. (tie) Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr, Senegal)
- 29. (tie) William Saliba (Arsenal, France)
- 28. Julian Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah, Mexico)
- 27. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal)
- 26. Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich, France)
- 25. Marquinhos (PSG, Brazil)
- 24. Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich, Colombia)
- 23. Nuno Mendes (PSG, Portugal)
- 22. Lautaro Martínez (Inter, Argentina)
- 21. Gabriel (Arsenal, Brazil)
- 20. Willian Pacho (PSG, Ecuador)
- 19. Joao Neves (PSG, Portugal)
- 18. Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid, Spain)
- 17. Vinícius Jr. (Real Madrid, Brazil)
- 16. Ferran Torres (PSG, Spain)
- 15. Declan Rice (Arsenal, England)
- 14. Vitinha (PSG, Portugal)
- 13. Achraf Hakimi (PSG, Morocco)
- 12. Pau Cubarsi (FC Barcelona, Spain)
- 11. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
- 10. Fabian Ruiz (PSG, Spain)
- 9. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)
- 8. Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
- 7. Ousmane Dembele (PSG, France)
- 6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG, Georgia)
- 5. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina)
- 4. Rodri (FC Barcelona, Spain)
- 3. Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona, Spain)
- 2. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, France)
- 1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Ballon d'Or final rankings: How the top players finished from 1-30
