Mbappé's chances remain: Ballon d'Or regulations guarantee nothing for the stars of Spain and Paris

The individual criterion outweighs the collective

On 9 August, the Ballon d'Or reminded everyone that individual brilliance and a decisive character come before titles. That could make all the difference after a season featuring both the World Cup and the Champions League.

Catalan newspaper "Sport" report that the organising body reaffirmed its voting criteria for the 2026 Ballon d'Or on 9 August, just three weeks after the World Cup final. The message was clear: individual performance and a decisive, dazzling character take precedence over collective titles.

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French magazine "France Football" adopted this order back in March 2022, after the criteria had previously mixed individual and collective performance.

Voting begins after the announcement of the nominees, made up of 30 male players and 30 female players, next Tuesday. The ceremony takes place on 26 October in London.

Crucially, the assessment now covers the entire sporting season from August to July, rather than the calendar year. That means the 2026 World Cup enters fully into the calculations.

Titles are not everything

The regulations do not state that goals in finals or Champions League matches automatically carry greater weight. Yet the concept of a "decisive, dazzling character" hands clear importance to those who shine in the big matches.

Last season offers plenty of examples. Rodri was chosen as the best player at the World Cup, featured in all eight of Spain's matches, and in the final against Argentina completed 101 of 105 passes while winning 80% of his duels and creating two chances.

Kylian Mbappe won neither the World Cup nor the Champions League. But he finished the World Cup as top scorer with 10 goals in 8 matches, and the Champions League as top scorer with 15 goals in 11 matches, strengthening his case under the individual performance criterion.

In the Champions League, UEFA named Khvicha Kvaratskhelia the best player in the tournament after Paris Saint-Germain's triumph, having scored 10 goals and provided 6 assists in 16 matches. His teammate Vitinha was chosen as the best player in the final against Arsenal, despite not scoring, thanks to his control of midfield and his leadership of the play.

Ousmane Dembele also enters the calculations. He scored Paris's equaliser in the Champions League final and finished the World Cup with 6 goals and two assists for France, alongside teammate Fabian Ruiz, a European and world champion.

Lamine Yamal has a strong case too, according to "Sport", after being chosen the best player in La Liga 2025/26. He contributed 16 goals and 12 assists to Barcelona's title triumph. His entire season will undergo assessment, including the Champions League and the World Cup with Spain.

Ferran Torres and the concept of decisiveness

Ferran Torres perfectly illustrates the "decisive character" criterion. In the 106th minute he scored the winning goal against Argentina in the World Cup final, handing Spain its second world title. He became only the second substitute in history to score the winner in a World Cup final, after Mario Gotze in 2014.

A single moment is not enough to settle the Ballon d'Or race. But goals that change the result of finals do enter into the assessment of how decisive a player has been across the season.

So the Ballon d'Or's reminder of its criteria on 9 August could shape the 2026 race. A European or world champion does not automatically gain the advantage. First it must be determined who was the best individually and the most decisive in the big moments, an equation that may decide who lifts the award at the ceremony on 26 October in London.