Planet Football

·17 July 2026

Could Lionel Messi be on track to secure his ninth Ballon d’Or in 2026?

According to organisers France Football, there’s absolutely no reason why he couldn’t.

During the ongoing World Cup, France Football published an article in the ‘press room’ section of the Ballon d’Or website with the headline: ‘Can you win the Ballon d’Or without playing for a European club?’

Interestingly, the piece featured a photo of Cristiano Ronaldo as its header image — perhaps as a nod to his online following or simply for humour — but everyone understands that the real subject of the question is Lionel Messi.

Messi has now been playing in Major League Soccer for three seasons. Historically, it was considered nearly impossible for a player outside Europe’s top leagues to claim the Ballon d’Or. Yet, it’s just as extraordinary for a player aged 39 to deliver such commanding performances on the World Cup stage.

In essence, unlike earlier times, there are currently no rules preventing Messi — or any other player outside Europe — from being eligible to win the award in 2026.

“To answer that question, let’s look back at history,” the article explains.

“When France Football created the Ballon d’Or in 1956, it was meant to honour the best European player competing in a European league. That remained the case until 1995, when the award became open to players of any nationality, but still limited to those playing in Europe. However, since 2007, there have been no restrictions: the Ballon d’Or recognises the best player in the world, period.”

Indeed, the publication notes that Messi has already made history as the first male player to win the Ballon d’Or while representing a non-European club, having received his record-extending eighth trophy in October 2023, just months after moving to the United States.

That said, there’s an important detail to consider — all of his achievements during that award’s eligibility period came before he joined Inter Miami.

“Since 2022, the Ballon d’Or has been judged on the football season (from August to July), rather than the calendar year,” France Football clarified.

“This means that for the club segment, our panel evaluated Messi’s performances with Paris Saint-Germain — the team he left in the summer of 2023 after being crowned world champion.”

Messi hasn’t made the shortlist since then. The last footballer to receive a Ballon d’Or nomination while spending the entire eligibility period outside Europe was a young Neymar, who was playing for Santos back in 2011.

On the women’s side, Megan Rapinoe, representing Seattle Reign FC, became the first player outside Europe to win the Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2019.

Regardless of the outcome of Argentina’s final against Spain, Messi is expected to capture his third Golden Ball award for being the Player of the Tournament. His inclusion on this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist now seems almost certain.

And if he can deliver one more masterclass performance to lead Argentina to World Cup glory, Lionel Messi would stand as the overwhelming favourite to claim Ballon d’Or No. 9.