2026 Ballon d’Or: Updated Rankings After Spain Beat France in FIFA World Cup Semi-final
- Spain beat France 2-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final, preventing Les Blues from reaching a third consecutive final
- Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scored as Spain progressed to their first final since South Africa 2010
- The result dented the Ballon d'Or chances of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise
France will not play in a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final after their 2-0 loss to Spain in the semi-final of the 2026 edition in the United States.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot in the first half after Lucas Digne inadvertently kicked Lamine Yamal in the box. Pedro Porro added the other goal in the second half.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by bein sport, the French attacking trio of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise struggled to make an impact on a difficult day for Didier Deschamps’ side.
The result is expected to have a significant influence on the 2026 Ballon d'Or after three of the favourites to win the award failed to reach the final of the World Cup.
2026 Ballon d'Or contenders
Current holder Dembele was the leading favourite to win the award heading into the tournament, and after a slow start, he exploded and scored five goals.
Michael Olise was also among the favourites after his brilliant season with Bayern Munich. He has been one of France’s best players at the World Cup with five assists.
Mbappe, despite a trophyless season with Real Madrid, came alive at the World Cup and currently has eight goals at the tournament, joint top with Lionel Messi.
Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Declan Rice are the other names in the Ballon d'Or race, with all three capable of boosting or damaging their chances of winning.
As noted by Yahoo Sport, Yamal has been underwhelming at the World Cup and will need a big performance in the final to stamp his authority. Rice falls in the same category after his quiet performances in the knockout stages.
Kane appears to be the outright favourite. He does not need to do much; he just hopes other contenders are unfortunate and he leads England to win the World Cup.
Top 5 Ballon d'Or favourites
Harry Kane
Lamine Yamal
Ousmane Dembele
Michael Olise
Kylian Mbappe
Could Messi win the Ballon d'Or?
Legit.ng previously reported that the Ballon d'Or released a statement on whether Lionel Messi could win another award if he wins the 2026 World Cup.
The Argentina national team captain had been the best player at the 2026 edition, scoring eight goals and providing eight assists to help Argentina into the semi-final.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
