Who Will Win The 2026 Ballon D'Or?
In what is global football's night of nights - Paris Saint-Germain superstar Ousmane Dembele was crowned the Ballon d'Or winner.
In doing so, Dembele ended up being just the 2nd PSG player and the sixth Frenchman to win the distinguished individual award.
He claimed the reward ahead of Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and fellow PSG teammate Vitinha - who completed second and third respectively.
Dembele played a huge function in PSG's success last season - with 36 objectives and 15 assists throughout all competitors en path a treble, consisting of a Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France.
However - it was their Champions League triumph in May that proved the most significant, as it marked the very first time PSG have won the European trophy.
And they did so in design - with Dembele and Co knocking Inter Milan 5-0 in the final at Munich's Allianz Arena.
With the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony now done and dusted - attention turns to who will be crowned the winner in 2026.
Therefore, let's have a look at who are the early favourites to declare the award next year according to Sky Bet.
Who are the favourites to claim the 2026 Ballon d'Or award? Sky Bet chances revealed
Lamine Yamal
Arguably among the very best teenage footballers in history - Barcelona super star Yamal has opened as the best-backed with Sky Bet at 5/2 to win the 2026 .
Yamal had an extraordinary 2024-25 season en path to runner-up in the Ballon d'Or - with the 18-year-old netting 18 objectives and registering 25 assists throughout all competitions.
His contribution was vital in assisting Barcelona claim a domestic treble - as Hansi Flick's side declared their 28nd league title, 32nd Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
Can Yamal construct on his private and team success and end up being the youngest gamer in history to win the Ballon d'Or? He is more than capable of doing so.
Yamal has started his 2025-26 season strong, with the winger tape-recording five goal contributions in three league video games to date.
Kylian Mbappe
Although former PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe had a great maiden project for Real Madrid statistically - of that included 44 objectives and 5 helps - it didn't lead to silverware.
Real Madrid stopped working to get a significant trophy in 2024-25 - with Los Blancos finishing second in the league and bowing out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Additionally, they went down 5-2 and 3-2 at the hands of El Classico equals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey finals respectively.
However, needs to Mbappe have a similar output this season and Real Madrid have the ability to get several prizes - do not be shocked if the 26-year-old is a strong competitor for next year's Ballon d'Or award.
He has started his 2025-26 project exceptionally well - with the winger netting 7 objectives in 6 league games up until now this season.
With the above in mind, for those expecting Mbappe to claim his first Ballon d'Or in 2026 - he is a 5/1 second-favourite according to Sky Bet.
Ousmane Dembele
The abovementioned Dembele has actually opened as a third-favourite to claim back-to-back Ballon d'Or awards - with the Frenchman priced at 13/2 odds.
If he were to do so, he would become the 8th player in history to win the award in successive seasons.
Dembele has had 3 objective contributions in as numerous video games in the French top-flight this season.
Vinicius Jr, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane & Erling Haaland
Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr., Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, and Manchester City's Erling Haaland round out the 5 favourites in the market.
Vinicius is a sole fourth-favourite at 8/1, while Salah, Kane and Haaland are joint fifth-favourites at 11/1.
Vinicius has three goals and 3 assists in 6 league video games in 2025-26, while Salah has had four goal contributions in the English top-flight to date this season.
Additionally, Haaland presently leads the Premier League's goalscoring tally with 6, while Kane has a remarkable 13 objectives and three helps in simply seven video games for Bayern across all competitors.
Sky Bet favourites to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or:
Lamine Yamal 5/2
Kylian Mbappe 5/1
Ousmane Dembele 13/2
Vinicius Jr. 8/1
Mohamed Salah 11/1
Harry Kane 11/1
Erling Haaland 11/1