Harry Kane remains among the candidates for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. However, according to former World Cup champion Emmanuel Petit, the Bayern Munich striker has lost significant ground following the World Cup. The Frenchman now sees other stars ahead of the Englishman.
The race for the Ballon d’Or is more wide open than ever following the World Cup. None of the top favorites managed to dominate the tournament. While France missed out on the title, Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, and Michael Olise also fell short of high expectations. Harry Kane, too, was unable to pull off a major victory with England.
For Emmanuel Petit, this has nevertheless changed the landscape—though not in favor of the Bayern striker.
Petit sees Kane at a disadvantage
In an interview with SPORT1, the 1998 World Cup champion explained: “After this World Cup, Harry Kane’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or have diminished. If you look solely at the Bundesliga, he’d certainly be a Ballon d’Or candidate, but in the Champions League and with his national team, when things got really tight, he mostly disappeared.”
In the Frenchman’s view, Kane failed to reach his highest level, especially in the decisive matches. Petit pointed to both the Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain and the rest of the World Cup tournament.
“There was more to be had there. That’s a shame after such an outstanding season. The same goes for the World Cup: He started off very strongly, but from the quarterfinals onward, he gave the impression that he lacked both the necessary strength and the necessary luck,” said the former national team player.
The race remains wide open
Despite his criticism, Petit doesn’t believe the Ballon d’Or has already been decided. Rather, he expects a close race right up until the winner is announced.
“I think there will be a few names ahead of him, even if the race should remain close until the very end, given that favorites like Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, and Michael Olise also disappointed at the end of the World Cup,” explained the 54-year-old.
In fact, there is currently no clear favorite. Kane can look back on a strong season with FC Bayern and was once again among Europe’s most consistent goal scorers. At the same time, many of his competitors lack the decisive credentials following the World Cup.
Whether the Bayern star’s performances will ultimately be enough to win the most prestigious individual award in world soccer will likely only be decided in the coming weeks. The only thing that seems certain is this: The outcome of the Ballon d’Or race is more up in the air than it has been in a long time.