Three days after the final of the 2026 World Cup between Spain and Argentinain which La Roja, led by Luis de la Fuente, won its second World Cup star, the debate about the following resurfaced on social networks Ballon d’Orwhich will be delivered next Monday October 26 in the city of London, England.
He Ballon d’Or It is an award that the specialized French magazine France Football awarded every year, since 1956to the best footballer of the world. The winner is chosen by an international jury exclusively by specialized journalists who represent the top 100 countries of the ranking FIFA in the men’s category.
Therefore, after 15 years of dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldointerrupted by Luka’s triumphs Modric and Karim Benzemathe most recent winners of the award were Rodri Hernández and the Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé; so that many considered that the time of the Argentine and of the Portuguese had been left behind.
However, the official Ballon d’Or profile published a message to clarify whether a footballer can gain the award without winning the World Cup, as in the cases of Ronaldo, with Portugal; Leo Messi, with Argentina; Kylian Mbappé, with Franceand the English Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, two of the most outstanding footballers of the tournament.
Can you win the Ballon d’Or without winning the World Cup?
“Here we are. The World Cup is over, there is no longer any room for mistake and the best players had to be decisive to carry their teams to the end of the tournament. A performance that, naturally, increases the chances of appearing in a prominent place,” added the official Ballon d’Or account in a social media statement.
Faced with this scenario, is it necessary to win the World Cup to obtain the most important individual trophy? prestigious of football? The answer is Nogiven that in the edition of 2010 The streak ended when Lionel Messi, figure of the FC Barcelonasurpassed the Spanish Andrés Iniesta and Xavidespite the fact that both had won the World Cup.
In the 2014 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo beat Lionel Messi, World Cup finalist, and the German in the same way. Manuel Neuertournament champion. In it 2018Luka Modrić, finalist with Croatia, finished ahead of Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, the first Russia 2018 world champion to appear in that classification.
Therefore, we had to wait until 2022 for a world champion to win the Ballon d’Or, since, after winning the title with Argentina, Messi also won the award. Although winning the World Cup helps, it does not guarantee obtaining it. To achieve this, it is necessary to have been the best player in the seasonnot just for a month.
The main candidates
According to what was stated by Sports Illustratedone of the most famous and respected sports magazines and news platforms in America, the favorites for the next Ballon d’Or are the Englishman Harry Kane and the Spanish Rodri Hernández, followed closely by the Argentine Lionel Messi and the French Kylian Mbappé, the scorers of the World.
- Harry Kane: The English striker is considered one of the top favorites, backed by his outstanding performance in the 2026 World Cup, where he took third place with Englandand for his scoring quota with the Bayern Municha team with which he won the Bundesliga and the German Cup.
- Rodri Hernandez: The Spanish midfielder is another of the key pieces in the contest, especially after receiving the Ballon d’Or of the 2026 World Cup and leading Spain to the title in New Jersey.
- Lionel Messi: The Argentine star remains in the fight for the award after adding eight goals and four assists in the 2026 World Cup, leading the Albiceleste team to runners-up.
- Kylian Mbappé: The French striker from Real Madrid is among the main candidates after becoming the top scorer of the 2026 World Cup, with ten goals.
Can you win the Ballon d’Or without winning the World Cup? 🤔
The answer ⤵️#ballondorhttps://t.co/UIZc35U6d7
— Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) July 20, 2026