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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
The first round of cuts is over at the London Palladium. The top 10 of the 2026 Ballon d’Or is now known, and it still leaves plenty of room for French players and Paris Saint-Germain. Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabián Ruiz keep PSG in the race, while Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise are also among the final ten candidates for the award.
The definitive order will be revealed throughout the ceremony. But the announcement of the places from 30th to 11th has already reshaped the evening: Jude Bellingham stops just short of the leading group, ahead of Pau Cubarsí, Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha. For the players still in contention, the wait has suddenly taken on a different dimension.
But the announcement of the places from 30th to 11th has already reshaped the evening: Jude Bellingham stops just short of the leading group, ahead of Pau Cubarsí, Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha.
PSG keeps three cards in the game
Paris is the best-represented club among the ten finalists. Dembélé, the defending champion, is joined there by Kvaratskhelia and Fabián Ruiz. This grouped presence rewards a season in which the Parisian collective carried significant weight, but it could also split the votes: each player had their moments in the spotlight, without their merits being interchangeable.
Dembélé arrives with the special status of the reigning winner. Kvaratskhelia and Ruiz, meanwhile, bring two very different profiles: the Georgian winger made his mark in the major matches with his ability to unsettle defenses, while the Spaniard embodied the control of the Parisian midfield. Hakimi and Vitinha, for their part, left the rankings in 13th and 14th place, which also reflects the depth of the competition.
Mbappé and Olise extend the French presence
Mbappé remains one of the most eagerly awaited figures at the end of this ceremony. His place in the top 10 keeps him at the heart of a vote in which Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Erling Haaland, Rodri and Lionel Messi are also still in contention. The Frenchman from Real Madrid needs no introduction, but he now needs the voters’ final word.
Olise completes the French trio still present alongside Mbappé and Dembélé. The Bayern Munich winger shares this final stage with his teammate Kane. His presence among the ten confirms the new dimension his game has reached: he is no longer merely a spectacular player on the wing, but a recognized candidate on a list that leaves no room for mere decoration.
A list that blends generations
The top 10 brings together very different trajectories. Messi retains a place of his own, while Yamal already represents a generation established at the very top. Haaland and Kane embody the logic of the goalscorers, Rodri that of the midfielder who organizes everything, and the French players offer several ways of influencing a match.
The list does not yet identify an unquestionable favorite. Rather, it tells the story of an open season, in which individual performances, titles and influence in major matches will be decided by the jury. The suspense remains intact until the final announcement; for PSG, Mbappé and Olise, the top 10 is no longer a provisional reward, but the gateway to a final hour of tension.
This wait places all the finalists in the same setting, with different arguments and an incomplete ranking. The last places announced have narrowed the spotlight to just ten names.
