Mbappe still in Ballon d’Or race as trophies alone offer no guarantee

The 2026 Ballon d’Or race remains open to Kylian Mbappe despite his lack of a World Cup or UEFA Champions League title, after the award’s organisers reiterated that individual performance and decisive influence will be prioritised over team honours.

According to the Catalan newspaper Sport, the award organisers restated their voting criteria on 9 August, only three weeks after the World Cup final. The regulations place individual quality, decisive contributions and an ability to make a striking impact ahead of collective trophies.

The French magazine France Football adopted that order of priorities in March 2022, having previously used criteria that gave a more evenly balanced consideration to individual and team performances.

Voting will begin after the 30-player and 30-player shortlist for the men’s and women’s awards is announced next Tuesday. The Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on 26 October.

The assessment period now covers the entire football season, from August to July, rather than the calendar year. As a result, the whole of the 2026 World Cup will count towards the 2026 award.

There is no rule stating that goals scored in finals or UEFA Champions League matches automatically carry extra weight. However, the emphasis on “decisive and spectacular character” gives players who excel in high-profile games a clear advantage.

Rodri is one example of a player whose case is built around a major tournament performance. He was named the World Cup’s best player, appeared in all eight of Spain’s matches and completed 101 of his 105 passes in the final against Argentina. He also won 80% of his duels and created two chances.

Mbappe, meanwhile, can point to outstanding individual numbers despite not winning either the World Cup or the UEFA Champions League. He finished the World Cup as top scorer with 10 goals in eight matches and also led the Champions League scoring charts with 15 goals in 11 appearances.

Paris Saint-Germain’s European triumph produced several other contenders. UEFA named Khvicha Kvaratskhelia the competition’s best player after Paris Saint-Germain won the trophy. He scored 10 goals and supplied six assists in 16 matches.

His team-mate Vitinha was selected as the player of the final against Arsenal, despite not scoring. His control of midfield and influence over the game were judged sufficient to earn the individual recognition.

Ousmane Dembele is also expected to feature in the discussion. He scored Paris Saint-Germain’s equaliser in the Champions League final and ended the World Cup with six goals and two assists for France. Fabian Ruiz, another Paris Saint-Germain team-mate, also enters consideration after winning both the European and world titles.

Lamine Yamal has a strong case of his own after being named the best player in La Liga in 2025-26. He helped Barcelona win the title by contributing 16 goals and 12 assists, while his complete season will also be assessed, including his Champions League campaign and his World Cup appearances for Spain.

Ferran Torres offers another illustration of the importance of decisive moments. He scored the winning goal against Argentina in the 106th minute of the World Cup final, securing Spain’s second world title. Torres became only the second substitute in history to score the winning goal in a World Cup final, following Mario Gotze in 2014.

One moment alone will not settle the Ballon d’Or contest, but goals that change the outcome of finals will form part of the assessment of how influential a player has been throughout the season.

The reminder issued on 9 August could therefore play an important role in the 2026 vote. Winning the European Championship or the World Cup will not automatically secure an advantage; voters must first decide who performed best individually and who proved most decisive in the biggest moments.

That balance could determine the winner when the award is presented in London on 26 October.

The same coverage also referred to a poor assessment of the referee in Real Madrid’s match against Real Betis and carried a quote from Jose Mourinho saying: “I thought the Betis player had died in front of the bench.”

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