Mundo Deportivo: Ballon d'Or 2026 — Individual Performance Weighted Over Trophies

According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, the 2026 Ballon d'Or evaluation will prioritize individual performance over trophy wins.

On August 9, three weeks after the FIFA World Cup final, France Football's official website published an article clarifying what journalists should prioritize when voting. The official statement emphasized that individual performance takes precedence over trophies won by players.

This is not a new rule created specifically for this year's evaluation. On March 11, 2022, France Football revised the Ballon d'Or criteria. The official reaffirmation of this principle after the World Cup and before the announcement of the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner provides the public with a reference point to understand the voting criteria.

Before 2021, the primary criterion was overall performance, including both individual and team achievements and trophies won, followed by player level, and finally career trajectory.

Since 2022, the order of evaluation criteria has changed. They now rank as follows: "Individual performance and decisive, impactful moments," overall performance and trophies won, and player level and fair play. Career trajectory was completely removed from the evaluation. France Football made clear at the time that the Ballon d'Or is primarily an individual award.

The rules also explicitly state that these criteria must be applied "in order of priority." Journalists must first assess each candidate's individual performance and their ability to decide matches, then consider the trophies their team won. Voting for the 2026 Ballon d'Or will begin after the finalist list is announced, with the official 30-person shortlist for both men's and women's football to be revealed on September 8, 2026. The award ceremony is scheduled for October 26 in London.

The evaluation period has also changed. The award is no longer for a calendar year, but for a full season from August to July of the following year, covering both club and international competitions. Therefore, the 2026 World Cup will be fully included in this Ballon d'Or evaluation.

The rules do not set fixed points for goals scored and do not specify that a Champions League final is worth more than league matches in terms of calculation. Interpreting the rules this way would be incorrect.

However, the "decisive, impactful moments" that France Football emphasizes will likely draw greater attention to players who step up when the intensity is highest.

The 2025/26 season presents several different cases.

Rodri not only won the World Cup with Spain but was also officially named FIFA World Cup Player of the Tournament. He played in all 8 matches for Spain, completed 101 of 105 passes in the final against Argentina, won 80% of his duels, and created 2 chances. This is a classic example of official recognition of individual performance.

Kylian Mbappé, by contrast, did not win the World Cup or the Champions League, yet he delivered standout individual statistics in both tournaments. He won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals in 8 matches and was the Champions League's top scorer with 15 goals in 11 matches. If individual performance matters more than overall honors, these statistics would carry significant weight.

There are other cases in the Champions League. After Aurélien Tchouaméni won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, he was named UEFA Champions League Player of the Tournament. He contributed 10 goals and 6 assists in 16 matches and played a crucial role in the knockout rounds. Tchouaméni is considered a strong contender.

His teammate Vitinha offers another perspective. UEFA named him Player of the Match in the Champions League final against Arsenal because he controlled the midfield and orchestrated Paris Saint-Germain's play. Despite not scoring, this aligns with what France Football calls "decisive and impactful."

Ousmane Dembélé is also within the scope of finalist discussion. He scored Paris Saint-Germain's equalizer in the Champions League final and was the fifth-highest goalscorer at the World Cup with 6 goals and 2 assists. According to the primary criterion in the rules, these performances could receive special attention. Another finalist is Fabián Ruiz, who won both the Champions League and World Cup with Paris Saint-Germain.

Lamine Yamal's performance must be analyzed from the same perspective. The FC Barcelona player was officially named La Liga Player of the Season for 2025/26 and helped Barcelona win the title with 16 goals and 12 assists. He has received significant individual honors and also won the championship overall.

Voters must assess Lamine Yamal's performance throughout the entire season, including his contributions in the Champions League and World Cup. The rules require voters not to focus solely on how many trophies a finalist has won, but rather to first consider who performed best individually and who had the most decisive impact at the personal level.

Ferran Torres's situation helps illustrate the concept of "decisiveness." Ferran scored Spain's only goal in the 106th minute of the World Cup final, helping Spain win their second World Cup title in history. FIFA also noted that he became the second player in World Cup final history to score a winning goal as a substitute, the first being Mario Götze in 2014.

Of course, this single goal alone would not make Ferran Torres a Ballon d'Or frontrunner, as the evaluation considers the entire season. However, this case demonstrates that crucial moments that determine championship outcomes also influence the assessment of a player's decisive role.

Following France Football's official reaffirmation of the rules on August 9, the biggest impact may be that winning the Champions League or World Cup will not automatically give a player an advantage. Voters must first answer: Who is the best-performing player, and who had the most decisive impact when their team needed it most?

With numerous standout individual performances occurring in both the World Cup and Champions League, the voters' answer may ultimately determine who receives the Ballon d'Or on October 26 in London.