Ballon d’Or odds: Kane favourite ahead of Yamal, Rodri and Mbappe

The disappointment of being knocked out of the World Cup at the semi-final stage will no doubt still be weighing heavily on England captain Harry Kane. Still, his six goals and one assist on top of his excellent campaign last season for Bayern Munich mean he is the favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or. 2026 Ballon d’Or odds Candidate Best Odds Bookie Harry Kane 1/1 Sky Bet Lamine Yamal 7/2 Betway Rodri 5/1 Bet365 Kylian Mbappe 7/1 Ladbrokes Lionel Messi 16/1 BetVictor Kane’s form since joining the German giants has been incredible, with 146 goals in 147 appearances as he helped his side to two Bundesliga titles, the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup and the German Cup. On a personal level, he has been the Bundesliga’s top scorer for each of his three seasons, including last season when he finished with 36 goals in 31 league appearances. In total, he managed 73 goals in 65 appearances for club and country last season, so it’s no surprise he is the favourite in the Ballon d’Or odds at even-money (1/1) on UK betting sites . Ballon d’Or betting: Spain stars hot on Kane’s tail Spain’s World Cup final win over Argentina saw two of their stars have their Ballon d’Or betting odds cut, with Lamine Yamal and Rodri just behind Kane. Some football betting sites are offering as much as 7/2 on 19-year-old Yamal, who won La Liga with Barcelona before helping Spain to their second World Cup win. The teenager finished as runner-up to Ousmane Dembele in last year's award, and as well as the World Cup win, he scored 25 goals for club and country last term, but he only found the net once at the World Cup. His Spain teammate Rodri, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 after helping Manchester City to the Premier League title and La Roja to the 2024 European Championships, is third favourite. The 30-year-old made just 17 Premier League starts last season as he battled back from a cruciate ligament injury as City were beaten to the league title by Arsenal, but he played in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals as City completed a domestic double. He started every single game for Spain at the World Cup and picked up the Golden Ball award. Betting apps make him 5/1 to collect a second Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or 2026 odds: Golden Boot enough for Mbappe? Kylian Mbappe also tasted disappointment at the World Cup as France finished fourth, but he won the Golden Boot for the second tournament in a row after scoring 10 and assisting a further four goals. He scored twice in the third-placed play-off defeat to England to move two clear of Messi in the scoring charts, finishing as top scorer. The Real Madrid striker was in excellent scoring form for club last season too, finishing the campaign with 58 goals in 60 appearances for club and country, including 15 in the Champions League to finish top of the scoring charts. Real finished trophyless, though, after being pipped to the La Liga title by Barcelona and beaten by the same opponents in the Spanish Super Cup final. The 27-year-old’s best finish in the Ballon d’Or is third back in 2023 when Lionel Messi won for the eighth time and the odds suggest he won’t better that this time around. Messi odds for Ballon d’Or Messi retains an outside chance of winning what would be an extraordinary ninth Ballon d’Or title. His last victory came in 2023, and he has also finished runner-up five times, in each of Cristiano Ronaldo’s wins. He was also runner-up to Kaka in 2007. At 39, Messi was instrumental in his country reaching their second consecutive World Cup final, with eight goals and four assists to finish second to Mbappe in the race to the Golden Boot for the second tournament in a row. This is surely his last chance to win the much-coveted trophy once more, with bookmakers currently offering a best price of 16/1 on that. Please gamble responsibly When having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling. Sports betting can be addictive, so bettors should take precautions to keep themselves safe when using gambling sites . Every licensed UK betting site offers safer gambling tools, such as deposit limits, time outs, self-assessment questionnaires and self-exclusion options. Read the terms and conditions before accepting any free bet offer as most online bookies and casino sites will require you to place a cash bet before handing out any reward. Always remember that sports betting is meant to be fun. It should never be viewed as a guaranteed way to make money. If you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below. NHS Help GambleAware Gamblers Anonymous We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.