Entering the World Cup, the race for the Ballon d’Or seemed like it came down to three people: Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Kylian Mbappe. But with all three failing to win the tournament, and Kane not even being the sole highest scorer on the England squad, this is a race that is now open for one of the most prestigious awards in global soccer. Previously, the award only accounted for accomplishments in one calendar year, but since the last edition in 2025, which Ousmane Dembele won, it now accounts for an entire standard European season, which runs from August 1 to July 31.

Have no fear, because Lionel Messi and other players in leagues that aren’t following the European cycle are still eligible for the award since geographic restrictions on it came to an end in 2007 — prior to then, it was an award meant for soccer players based in European leagues. Someone also doesn’t need to win the World Cup to be eligible for the award, which brings us into murky territory. When there isn’t a World Cup, these awards can be a bit easier to make sense of, as more teams and players are involved in continental national team competition vs. a tournament where only 48 teams in the entire world can make it.

There are three main pillars that are used in Ballon d’Or voting. Individual performance when stat-based metrics are used, team achievements, which aren’t available to everyone depending on what competitions a team takes part in, and then there’s class and fair play, which is more subjective and where this award can go a bit off the rails, especially when at any moment new awards can be created.

Back in 2020, Robert Lewandowski was favored to win the Ballon d’Or, but it was canceled due to COVID. But in 2021, he came in second behind Messi, with a new award being created to be given to the striker of the year. Lewandowski won that award in back-to-back seasons, but didn’t secure the full award.

There was a monopoly held on the award by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who won it a whopping 13 times since Ronaldo’s first in 2008, with only two players, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, breaking their streak before Messi’s move to Inter Miami. Since that move in 2023, Rodri has captured the Ballon d’Or and Dembele has won it as well.

Rodri’s win was during what would be considered a down season when it came to candidates, with Manchester City capturing the treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, while Spain also won the European Championship. That year, Vinicius Junior was expected to win, leading to Real Madrid boycotting the ceremony. Considering that there is no clear frontrunner, this is another time where an unexpected winner could rise to the top of the ranks. Kane is still the odds-on favorite right now, but considering the existence of the striker-specific award, the Bayern Munich man could come in second in the award rankings and then win the award for best striker, where he does have a leg up on Erling Haaland.

This was the first World Cup with Haaland due to Norway’s improvement as a soccer power, and there was a star who didn’t make the tournament in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Paris Saint-Germain man was excellent for club and country, scoring 22 goals, but it’s not enough of an output to outweigh not being at the World Cup. There likely is too much emphasis put on the tournament, but that won’t be changing anytime soon.

Ballon d’Or top candidates

All stats include play for club and country.

When breaking it down, you can see why Kane would be the leading candidate for the award. He has the most goals and assists with 81 and also has the most individual honors, so that should be done and dusted, right? Well, not exactly. Spain’s candidates don’t exactly stack up, with Lamine Yamal only scoring once during the World Cup and Rodri struggling with injuries in what was a down year for Manchester City. With a World Cup title, Kane or Mbappe would’ve had iron-clad cases, but with both playing in the third-place game, it opens the door for Lionel Messi.

The Ballon d’Or is not a lifetime achievement award, but sometimes it is treated as one. While Argentina didn’t win the World Cup, Messi has absolutely dominated Major League Soccer and put up an absurd goal output. Contributing 1.55 goals per game is just nuts; there’s no way around it. And when there’s uncertainty in the race for the Ballon d’Or and Messi is having a season that would statistically be worthy, fortune favors the Argentine.

Intangibles also come into play, as at 39 this could be the final time that Messi is truly eligible for this award. Mbappe and Haaland are looking to take up his mantle, and Yamal is also coming. With eight Ballon d’Ors to his name, what better time to add a ninth and potentially final one? There are issues to this form of thinking, but it’s an award determined by humans, so there’s no perfect criteria that will break down how votes are cast. Kane is a deserving winner, especially with the ceremony taking place in London, but in a field of uncertainty, Messi could rise and claim it.

Long-serving Premier League referee Anthony Taylor has announced his retirement after 16 years in England’s top flight.

The 47-year-old will end his refereeing career after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His final match was the Round of 16 game between Portugal and eventual champions Spain.

Taylor finishes his career after officiating 831 matches across English, European and international football.

In England, he took charge of 432 Premier League matches and refereed every major domestic cup final, including the FA Cup finals in 2017 and 2020, and the League Cup final in 2015.

He also spent 14 years on FIFA’s international list and represented England at the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups. During his career, he officiated 163 international matches and worked at two UEFA European Championships and two FIFA Club World Cups.

Speaking after announcing his retirement, Taylor said it was the right time to step away because of the pressure that comes with the job.

“Officiating at the highest level has been an immense privilege, but the pressure is intense and the scrutiny is constant. The time is now right to step aside and look forward to the next chapter of my career,” he said.

Taylor faced one of the toughest moments of his career in 2023 when he and his family were confronted by angry Roma supporters at Budapest Airport after the Europa League final. Former Roma manager Jose Mourinho had strongly criticised his performance after the match.

Last year, Taylor revealed that his family no longer attended matches he officiated because of the abuse directed at referees. He also said the expectation for referees to be perfect had made him think about leaving the profession on several occasions.

His final Premier League match was West Ham United’s 3-0 victory over Leeds United on the last day of the 2025/26 season. Despite the win, West Ham were relegated to the Championship.

Taylor leaves the game as one of the most experienced referees in Premier League history, having overseen more than 400 top-flight matches and officiated in some of football’s biggest competitions.

KRAFTON India has unveiled its H2 2026 BGMI Esports Roadmap, introducing two major tournaments for the second half of the competitive season. The roadmap features the BGMI International Cup (BMIC) and the BGMI Showdown (BMSD).

While the former, as the name suggests, is an international tournament, the latter is a domestic championship featuring the country’s top-performing teams. In both events, teams will battle for supremacy and a share of the lucrative prize pool attached to each competition.

In this article, we will walk you through everything you need to know about KRAFTON India’s H2 2026 BGMI Esports Roadmap.

Everything we know about KRAFTON India’s H2 2026 BGMI Esports tournaments

As mentioned earlier, KRAFTON India has announced two flagship tournaments as part of its H2 2026 competitive roadmap: the BGMI International Cup (BMIC) and the BGMI Showdown (BMSD). Both events will feature a prize pool of INR 1 crore, making them among the biggest BGMI tournaments of the year. Below is a closer look at each competition.

BGMI International Cup (BMIC) Season 2

The BGMI International Cup (BMIC) Season 2 Grand Finals will take place as a LAN event from October 30 to November 1, 2026, at the Dome, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Indoor Stadium in Mumbai. In this tournament, 16 teams will compete for the championship.

There will be six teams from India, five each from South Korea and Japan. With some of the best squads from three regions set to clash, the tournament promises high-level competition as teams compete not only to be the winner but also to claim the INR 1 crore prize pool.

BGMI Showdown (BMSD)

Unlike BMIC, BMSD is an invite-only domestic championship exclusively for the country’s top-performing BGMI teams. That means players cannot register for the tournament through an open qualification process. The competition will feature 48 invited teams, with invitations being determined based on a team’s performance across the following three parameters:

BMSD will begin on September 22, 2026, with teams progressing through multiple competitive stages before reaching the LAN Grand Finals. Below is the exact schedule:

With BMIC and BMSD set to take center stage, the second half of KRAFTON India’s 2026 tournaments is shaping up to be one of the biggest competitive seasons in BGMI esports.

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