PARIS — Ousmane Dembélé believes another Paris Saint-Germain player will win the Ballon d’Or in 2026, saying the European champions have enough individual quality to keep football’s most prestigious individual prize at the club. Dembélé, who won the award in 2025 after helping PSG capture its first Champions League title, made the prediction in an interview with France Football as organizers began unveiling this year’s nominees Tuesday.
The France forward said he does not consider the race as open as some observers suggest. “I think it will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player,” Dembélé said. Asked to identify leading candidates, he named PSG teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, while declining to include himself among his choices.
Dembélé also highlighted Bayern’s Michael Olise, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and PSG teammates Fabian Ruiz and Willian Pacho as players whose performances deserved recognition. His comments underline the depth of the field for the 2026 award, which considers individual performance as well as team success and sporting conduct over the previous season.
PSG’s case is strengthened by another historic season in Europe. Luis Enrique’s team successfully defended the Champions League in May, defeating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest. PSG became only the second club in the Champions League era to retain the trophy, following Real Madrid.
Dembélé won the 2025 Ballon d’Or ahead of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and PSG teammate Vitinha after scoring 37 goals and providing 15 assists during a season in which Paris won its first Champions League crown. His victory made him the sixth Frenchman to win the men’s award and the first PSG player from France to do so while representing the club.
The Ballon d’Or, first awarded in 1956, has grown into one of the most closely followed individual honors in international football. The 2026 edition is its 70th, with 30 players due on the men’s shortlist. The ceremony will be held in London on Oct. 26, the first time the event has been staged in the British capital.
For PSG, another winner would reinforce the club’s transformation from a team long associated with expensive star signings into a side whose collective success has translated into individual honors. Whether Dembélé’s prediction proves correct will depend on how voters weigh PSG’s second straight European title against standout seasons from players such as Kane, Mbappé and Yamal when the winner is announced next month
