- A supercomputer has released odds for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, with one candidate holding a commanding lead over the rest of the field
- The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held in London for the first time, moving away from its traditional Paris venue
- Harry Kane scored 73 goals in 65 games this season, putting him ahead of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe in the predictions
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is set to take place on Monday, October 26, in London, with a supercomputer placing Harry Kane as the strong favourite to claim the prestigious award ahead of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe.
This year marks the 70th edition of the Ballon d'Or and the first time the event will be held outside France.
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London was chosen as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, who won the inaugural award in 1956.
The timing could not be more fitting if Kane, an England international, walks away with the trophy.
Polymarket supercomputer backs Kane for Ballon d'Or
Prediction market platform Polymarket gives Kane a 74.3% chance of winning, with Barcelona's Lamine Yamal at 19.8% and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe at 4%.
Kane's 2025/26 campaign was arguably the finest individual season in recent memory.
The Bayern Munich striker scored 56 goals and added eight assists across the Bundesliga, Champions League and World Cup.
Including his returns in other club competitions and international duty, he finished with 73 goals in 65 games, a figure that makes him almost impossible to overlook.
According to The Athletic, the 30-man shortlist includes 10 nominees from Paris Saint-Germain, the French and European champions, as well as Kane's Bayern teammate Michael Olise.
Argentine legend Lionel Messi also received a nomination following an impressive World Cup campaign, though his move to Inter Miami in the United States is expected to count against him among voters.
Yamal and Mbappe's competing claims
Yamal, who will still be a teenager at the end of this season, continued his remarkable rise in 2025-26.
After recording 14 goals and 16 assists in 48 matches the previous campaign, the 19-year-old forward improved to 22 goals and 15 assists in just 38 appearances.
His statistics were held back somewhat by a bout of pubalgia at the start of the season and a hamstring injury towards the end, limiting his minutes on the pitch.
The Spaniard has already carried that momentum into the 2026/27 campaign, scoring nine and assisting 10 in just 11 games for Barcelona, while also netting four times in four appearances for Spain during the recent international break.
He is widely regarded as a frontrunner for next year's award.
Mbappe's case for the 2026 prize rests heavily on his individual brilliance.
The Frenchman scored 40 goals in 42 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League for Real Madrid, then followed that up by netting 10 times at the World Cup.
His tournament Golden Boot haul made him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup finals history, with 22 goals from 22 matches.
However, a second consecutive club season without major silverware and France's fourth-place finish at the World Cup are likely to cost him the award despite those numbers.
Mbappe has since begun the 2026-27 season under new Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, scoring 11 times in his opening 11 games.
Chelsea star backs Kane for Ballon d'Or
Legit.ng previously reported about Chelsea star Morgan Rogers’ backing of Kane for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, as the Bayern Munich striker faces strong competition from Yamal and Mbappe.
Kane scored 73 goals and won the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal and the European Golden Shoe in a remarkable season.
Source: Legit.ng