Updated Ballon d’Or Rankings After Spain Beat Argentina to Win 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Spain defeated Argentina to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, thanks to Ferran Torres’ extra-time goal
- La Roja won their second World Cup trophy, while La Albiceleste fell short of their fourth star
- Spain’s victory has caused a strong shift in the 2026 Ballon d'Or with Lamine Yamal now a favourite
Spain are the 2026 FIFA World Cup winners after beating Argentina 1-0 thanks to Ferran Torres’ extra-time goal at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Lamine Yamal continues his historic international run, winning both the European Champions and FIFA World Cup before turning 20.
Source: Getty Images
The Ballon d'Or would now be heavily tilted towards the Barcelona attacker after playing a crucial role in helping La Roja secure their second World Cup.
Updated Ballon d'Or rankings
Lamine Yamal
According to Polymarket Sports, Yamal is now the favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or after helping Spain to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup against his idol Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Yamal had a quiet World Cup campaign, but leading Barcelona to the 2025/26 La Liga title and Supercopa Espana gave him a base heading into the World Cup and winning it has put him at the top of the favourites list.
Harry Kane
Kane had a brilliant individual campaign with Bayern Munich, scoring 73 goals in all competitions to help the Bavarians win the German double and reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
The England captain scored six goals at the World Cup and helped the Three Lions reach the semi-final, beating France to win the bronze medal. He could have been an outright favourite if England had made the final.
Ousmane Dembele
Current holder Dembele headed into the World Cup as the outright favourite to retain his award and after the tournament, he would be lucky to finish on the podium.
He had a decent campaign scoring six goals at the tournament, including a hat-trick against Norway, but France’s failure to reach the final and lose the third-place playoff match hampered his chances.
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe always turned up at the FIFA World Cup and this year he did, scoring 10 goals and four assists to help France to fourth place, losing the playoff to England in a 6-4 thriller.
As noted by Foot Mercato, he became the first player to win the La Liga, UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup Golden Boot in the same season, pushing him up the favourites list for the Ballon d'Or.
Lionel Messi
Messi cannot be ruled out of winning the Ballon d'Or after his great World Cup performance at 39. If Argentina had won, there would be no doubt he would win his record-extending ninth award, but remains a strong contender.
Declan Rice
Rice had a great season for Arsenal, winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final. A quiet World Cup has taken him off the spotlight, but the voters won't forget him in a hurry.
Messi speaks about viral photo
Legit.ng previously reported that Lionel Messi spoke about the viral photo of him bathing baby Lamine Yamal during a promotional event in 2007.
Messi admitted that the moment was an insane coincidence and heaped praise on the player Yamal has become and what he means to Barcelona.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
