Kylian Mbappe has made a fresh case for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, expressing confidence that his outstanding individual performances across the World Cup, La Liga and UEFA Champions League could earn him the prestigious individual award.
The France and Real Madrid forward spoke about his chances on Tuesday as the race for this year’s Ballon d’Or enters its final stages, with the winner scheduled to be announced at a ceremony in London on October 26.
Mbappe is among the 30 players shortlisted for the men’s award after producing one of the most prolific individual campaigns of his career. Although neither Real Madrid nor France lifted a major trophy during the assessment period, the 27-year-old finished as the leading scorer in several of football’s biggest competitions.
He was the top scorer in the 2025/26 La Liga campaign, scoring 25 goals for Real Madrid. He also led the Champions League scoring charts with 15 goals in 11 appearances. UEFA confirmed that his tally made him the competition’s leading scorer for the season, ahead of Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, who finished with 14 goals.
Mbappe then carried his scoring form into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 10 goals for France.
His World Cup campaign also helped him break another major record. With his latest goals, Mbappe moved to 22 career goals at the World Cup, overtaking Lionel Messi’s previous mark and becoming the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
Speaking about his Ballon d’Or chances, Mbappe argued that the award should recognise individual ⁶performances and the ability of a player to produce decisive and memorable moments.”
He pointed to his scoring record across the major competitions as evidence of his case.
“I was top scorer in all the biggest competitions, and I think that this could be a good year for me, and I really feel it,” Mbappe said during an interview.
His comments come despite a season in which he ended without a major team trophy.
France were eliminated in the World Cup semi-finals by eventual champions, Spain, while Real Madrid finished second in La Liga. Madrid’s Champions League campaign also ended in the quarter-finals following elimination by Bayern Munich.
That lack of silverware is one of the central factors surrounding Mbappe’s Ballon d’Or campaign because the award considers both individual performances and collective achievements.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist was announced by France Football on September 8, with Mbappe included alongside several players who enjoyed significant success with their clubs or national teams. UEFA lists the Frenchman among nominees that include defending champion, Ousmane Dembélé, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Bayern Munich striker, Harry Kane, Manchester City forward, Erling Haaland and Real Madrid teammates, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.
Dembélé enters the contest as the defending Ballon d’Or winner and also has a strong case based on Paris Saint-Germain’s successful campaign.
PSG won the Champions League for the second consecutive season in 2026, defeating Arsenal on penalties in the final in Budapest. Dembélé was part of a PSG squad that dominated the Ballon d’Or nominations, with 10 players from the French club included in the 30-man shortlist.
Kane is another prominent contender after an exceptional campaign with Bayern Munich and England. According to reports, he scored 73 goals for club and country during the season and helped Bayern win the Bundesliga.
Yamal, meanwhile, was part of the Spain team that won the 2026 World Cup. Fellow Spanish player, Ferran Torres, also scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, while Barcelona’s domestic success further strengthens the Spanish representation among the leading candidates.
The contrast between Mbappe’s individual numbers and Real Madrid’s lack of major silverware is therefore likely to remain a major talking point before the winner is announced.
UEFA’s record of the 2025/26 Champions League season underlines just how productive Mbappe was. His 15 goals made him the outright leading scorer in the competition, while his 13 goals during the league phase alone represented a new record for that stage.
Real Madrid also relied heavily on his goals throughout the campaign. UEFA notes that Mbappe scored 25 times in La Liga and 15 times in the Champions League, although the Spanish giants ultimately ended the season without a major domestic or European title.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or voting is based on performances during the period from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, the day of the World Cup final. Journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings select their preferred players in ranked order, with points awarded according to each position.
France Football’s stated criteria place individual performance and a player’s decisive and impressive character first, followed by collective performances and trophies won, and then sporting conduct and fair play.
That framework leaves Mbappe’s campaign particularly interesting because his individual statistics are among the strongest in the field, while several of his principal competitors can point to major trophies won during the same period.
The winner will be announced on October 26 at the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony in London. The event is being moved from its traditional Paris venue to London this year as part of celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the first Ballon d’Or, won by England legend, Stanley Matthews, in 1956.
For Mbappe, the final weeks before the ceremony provide an opportunity to emphasise a campaign built around goals, records and individual consistency. His message is clear: despite finishing the season without a major team trophy, he believes his performances across the biggest competitions have given him a strong enough statistical case to challenge for football’s most prestigious individual prize.