Kylian Mbappé leads Ballon d'Or preferences in L'Équipe poll

Kylian Mbappé has emerged as the frontrunner to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or according to a poll conducted by the French newspaper L'Équipe. The Real Madrid striker leads the preferences with 34.2 percent of the vote.

Following Mbappé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain holds second place with 24.3 percent, while Harry Kane of Bayern Munich sits in third with 8.6 percent. Notably, Barcelona's Lamine Yamal did not appear in the top three for the men's category, despite being a widely discussed candidate. However, Yamal leads the voting for the best young player in the world with 43.3 percent.

In the women's category, Alexia Putellas leads the preferences with 26.9 percent, followed by Selma Bacha and Wendie Renard. The official Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 26 in London.