With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly now disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d'Or hasn't felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players beginning the campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer. Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued with inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he is among a crowded field of contenders as the 2026 race gets going.

Dembele largely secured the award off the back of his performances in helping Paris Saint-Germain win their first European Cup, and the Champions League is yet again likely to have a big say on the Ballon d'Or battle this time around. However, it's also a World Cup year, so there is a chance that the eventual winner doesn't emerge until the summer in North America.

Don't forget, too, that there is the Africa Cup of Nations running from late December and into January, meaning there could be some players who don't only shine for their clubs but also impress at major tournaments over the course of the campaign.

The Ballon d'Or race is a marathon not a sprint, and it's worth bearing in mind that Dembele didn't emerge as a potential contender until midway through the 2024-25 campaign. However, with the European season now properly up and running, so too are GOAL's Power Rankings as we track the likeliest winners of the Golden Ball over the coming weeks and months:

Getty Images Sport10Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)

Widely regarded as the best right-back in the world, Hakimi placed sixth in the 2025 Ballon d'Or voting after a season in which he contributed as much to the PSG attack as he did to ensure they remained solid at the back. One of the leaders within Luis Enrique's squad, his performances will again have a large bearing on the French champions' fortunes at home and on the continent.

Hakimi has made a decent start to the season, but what places him so high in our rankings is the potential for him to shine on the international stage. Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and have the strongest squad among the African qualifiers for 2026, meaning another deep run isn't beyond the realms of possibility. Before that, they are the favourites to triumph on home soil at AFCON, with Hakimi set to be the face of the tournament if all goes well for the Atlas Lions.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport9Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)

It's fair to say that the 2024-25 season didn't quite go to plan for Vinicius. The Real Madrid man swore revenge for missing out on the 2024 Ballon d'Or to Rodri, but despite a strong start to the campaign, he soon found himself playing second fiddle to Kylian Mbappe at Santiago Bernabeu, which in turn meant his impact on games took a sharp downward turn.

The early signs are, however, positive that Xabi Alonso might be able to get the best out of both Vinicius and Mbappe, with the Brazilian's influence on Los Blancos beginning to grow once more. At international level, meanwhile, Vini will be expected to step up and become the Selecao's leader under Carlo Ancelotti as they aim to end their 24-year wait for a sixth global title this summer.

Getty Images Sport8Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

With Arsenal sat top of the Premier League and playing like a team who could be set for silverware both in England and potentially in Europe, the Gunners look poised to have plenty of potential Ballon d'Or candidates. Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Gabriel Magalhaes have all enjoyed strong starts to the season while representing nations with aspirations of winning the World Cup, but for now we've gone for Saka as the likeliest to emerge as a Golden Ball favourite.

The winger has the advantage of being able to tally massive goal and assist numbers if he hits top form, while Saka is almost assured of a starting role for England at the World Cup as they begin to look like potential winners again under Thomas Tuchel. Given his previous tournament displays, Saka producing in North America is almost a prerequisite at this point.

Getty Images Sport7Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)

Vitinha has come a long way from his underwhelming loan spell at Wolves five years ago to finishing on the Ballon d'Or podium in 2025, and the PSG dictator-in-chief is now regarded by many as the best midfielder on the planet. Certainly he has played in such a fashion to begin the new season, and even looks to be adding more goal and assist output to his game.

He will also form part of a Portugal squad next summer that, after winning the Nations League, has a genuine belief that they can win the World Cup. Should they do so, then Vitinha will likely have played a massive part.