Ballon d’Or 2026: top 30 rankings revealed
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Businessday
The 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or rankings are being revealed gradually during the ceremony in London, with Sadio Mané ranked 29th among the first 30 names announced. The winner will be known at the end of the evening, reports Businessday.
The top 30 of the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or rankings began to be revealed on Monday during the ceremony at London’s Palladium Theatre, according to BusinessDay. Positions 29 to 11 include Senegalese Al-Nassr forward Sadio Mané and Moroccan Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, ranked 29th and 13th respectively.
The interim rankings also place Real Madrid’s English midfielder Jude Bellingham 11th, ahead of Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí of Spain and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha of Portugal. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior is 17th, while Arsenal’s England international Declan Rice is 15th, according to BusinessDay.
The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony is being held outside Paris for the first time. It is being hosted in London by sports journalist Kate Scott and former France international Thierry Henry. England captain Harry Kane, Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal and French Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé are among the favourites for the award recognising the best player of the 2025-2026 season.
The announcement comes on the day Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy, while Harry Kane received the men’s top scorer award.
