Ballon d’Or 2026 Rankings Updated After Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Mbappé Score in Nations League

• Harry Kane retained the top spot in the unofficial 2026 Ballon d'Or rankings after scoring for England in their 3-2 defeat to Spain at Wembley
• Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé also got on the scoresheet during the international break
• Lionel Messi maintains an outside chance to win a record-extending Ballon d'Or prize

Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé all found the net during the latest international break as the race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or continues to take shape.

Kane, Yamal, Mbappé score in Nations League

Kane scored for England against Spain at Wembley, but his goal was not enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat. The Bayern Munich striker also missed a penalty as the visitors completed a comeback victory, per Livescore.

Watch Kane's missed penalty, as shared on X:

Yamal was also on the scoresheet for Spain in the same game, adding another strong performance to his growing Ballon d’Or case.

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Mbappé, meanwhile, scored the decisive goal as France secured a 1-0 win over Türkiye on September 25. However, the Real Madrid forward was forced off with a knee injury, raising questions over his availability for the weeks ahead, according to beIN Sports.

Harry Kane leads 2026 Ballon d’Or race

Despite England's defeat to Spain, Kane remains at the top of the latest unofficial Ballon d’Or rankings.

Yamal sits behind him, while Mbappé occupies third place after his latest goal for France.

The gap between the leading pair and Mbappé remains significant, although the Ballon d’Or race can change quickly with several months of club football still to come.

Kane's continued position at the top reflects the impact of his goalscoring form for both Bayern Munich and England.

The latest Polymarket figures place Kane at a market-implied 56% probability, with Yamal on 27% and Mbappé at 7%.

The figures reflect betting-market sentiment and are not official Ballon d’Or voting results.

Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, is fourth, while Lionel Messi occupies fifth place. Erling Haaland is ninth despite his prolific scoring record for Manchester City.

Kane's lead of more than 25 percentage points over Yamal shows the size of his current advantage in the market.

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Below is the unofficial ranking, according to Polymarket:

1. Harry Kane
2. Lamine Yamal
3. Kylian Mbappé
4. Rodri
5. Lionel Messi
6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
7. Ousmane Dembélé
8. Fabian Ruiz
9. Erling Haaland
10. Michael Olise

However, the race remains open, with the remainder of the club season still capable of reshaping the picture.

Ballon d’Or voting deadline announced

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the deadline for voting in the 2026 Ballon d’Or had been confirmed, with specialised journalists from around the world making up the voting jury.

Ghana is also part of the voting process, with renowned sports journalist Michael Oti-Adjei representing the country.

Source: YEN.com.gh