At first glance, the outcome may be confusing.
How is it possible that two institutions linked to world football identified different footballers as the most outstanding in the same tournament?
The answer lies in the way each evaluated individual performance during the World Cup.
Two awards, two methodologies
The Ballon d’Or is the official recognition that FIFA gives to the best player in each World Cup.
After the final played in the New York New Jersey Stadiumthe organization awarded that distinction to the Spanish midfielder Rodri Hernandezone of the main figures of the champion team.
For its part, the IFFHS published, once the tournament concluded, its own statistical analysis and designated Lionel Messi as the most outstanding footballer in the World Cup.
Although both awards seek to identify the player with the best performance, each organization used different criteria to reach their conclusion.
What did the IFFHS evaluate?
In its official statement, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics explained that its decision was based on a performance index prepared from different statistical variables.
The organization took into account the grades obtained in each match, the goals, assists and the impact of each player during the different phases of the competition.
With this methodology, Messi obtained the highest rating of the tournament.
The Argentine captain closed the World Cup with an average rating of 8.33in addition to registering eight goals and four assistsfigures that, according to the IFFHS, placed it in first place in its classification.
Why did FIFA choose Rodri?
Unlike the IFFHS, FIFA did not accompany the announcement of the Ballon d’Or with a statistical report detailing the criteria applied for the election.
The recognition is part of the official World Cup awards and is granted in accordance with the procedure established by football’s governing body.
In the 2026 edition, the award went to Rodri Hernández, who led Spain’s midfield during the road to the world title.
Why were there two winners?
The difference between both recognitions does not mean that one contradicts the other.
FIFA presented the official prize of the tournament.
The IFFHS, on the other hand, developed a classification based on its own statistical model to measure the individual performance of footballers.
Each organization analyzed the same World Cup from a different methodology and, therefore, arrived at a different winner.
Thus, Rodri was registered as the official Ballon d’Or of the 2026 World Cup, while Lionel Messi topped the classification prepared by the IFFHS.