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 became just the 2nd PSG gamer 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 ended up second and 3rd respectively.
Dembele played a substantial function in PSG's success last season - with 36 objectives and 15 assists across all competitions en path a treble, including a Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France.
However - it was their Champions League victory in May that proved the most considerable, as it marked the very first time PSG have actually won the European prize.
And they did so in design - with Dembele and Co thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in the last at Munich's Allianz Arena.
With the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony now done and cleaned - attention turns to who will be crowned the winner in 2026.
Therefore, let's take a look at who are the early favourites to claim the award next year according to Sky Bet.
Who are the favourites to claim the 2026 Ballon d'Or award? Sky Bet chances exposed
Lamine Yamal
Arguably one of the finest teenage footballers in history - Barcelona super star Yamal has actually opened as the best-backed with Sky Bet at 5/2 to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Yamal had an extraordinary 2024-25 season en route to runner-up in the Ballon d'Or - with the 18-year-old netting 18 goals and signing up 25 assists throughout all competitions.
His contribution was essential in assisting Barcelona declare a domestic treble - as Hansi Flick's side declared their 28nd league title, 32nd Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
Can Yamal develop on his specific and team success and end up being the youngest gamer in history to win the Ballon d'Or? He is more than efficient in doing so.
Yamal has started his 2025-26 season strong, with the winger taping 5 goal contributions in 3 games to date.
Kylian Mbappe
Although previous PSG super star Kylian Mbappe had an excellent maiden campaign for Real Madrid statistically - of which included 44 objectives and 5 assists - it didn't lead to silverware.
Real Madrid failed to pick up a significant trophy in 2024-25 - with Los Blancos ending up 2nd in the league and bailing out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Additionally, they decreased 5-2 and 3-2 at the hands of El Classico rivals 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 trophies - don't be amazed if the 26-year-old is a strong competitor for next year's Ballon d'Or award.
He has started his 2025-26 project very well - with the winger netting 7 goals in six league video games so far this season.
With the above in mind, for those expecting Mbappe to declare his maiden Ballon d'Or in 2026 - he is a 5/1 second-favourite according to Sky Bet.
Ousmane Dembele
The abovementioned Dembele has 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 end up being the eighth gamer in history to win the award in succeeding seasons.
Dembele has actually had 3 objective contributions in as many 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 objectives and three helps in 6 league games in 2025-26, while Salah has had four goal contributions in the English top-flight to date this season.
Additionally, Haaland currently leads the Premier League's goalscoring tally with 6, while Kane has an excellent 13 goals and 3 helps in simply 7 games for Bayern across all competitions.
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