Ballon d'Or 2026: Hakimi 13th, Mane 29th as Africa misses the podium
Only two Africans made the 2026 Ballon d'Or ranking won by Harry Kane. Hakimi drops seven places and Mane returns in 29th. Diomande, Chawinga and Banda brighten a mixed year for the continent.
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Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d'Or on Monday 26 October in London, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. For African football, the 70th edition of the ceremony organised by France Football and UEFA leaves mixed feelings. Only two players from the continent appear in the men's ranking of 30 nominees, and neither gets close to the top 10. Achraf Hakimi finished 13th and Sadio Mane 29th. The picture is brighter among young players and in the women's game.
Hakimi, Africa's best despite dropping seven places
Achraf Hakimi is still Africa's flagbearer. The Moroccan right-back of Paris Saint-Germain finished 13th, just ahead of his team-mate Vitinha. His 2025-26 season was a rich one: a second Champions League with PSG and another French title. The Paris club also received the Club of the Year award.
The comparison with 2025 hurts. A year ago Hakimi finished sixth, so he has dropped seven places while adding to his trophy cabinet. Several explanations are doing the rounds. According to Afrik.com, the sheer number of PSG players in the ranking split the voters. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (6th), Ousmane Dembele (7th) and Fabian Ruiz (10th) finished above him, while Vitinha, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes and Marquinhos were ranked below. When one club dominates like that, voters tend to reward its forwards and midfielders first.
Mane, a quiet return to the top 30
Sadio Mane is back in the ranking after four years away. He finished 29th, level with Arsenal defender William Saliba. It is his lowest finish in five nominations. The Senegal forward was 23rd in 2017, 22nd in 2018, 4th in 2019 and 2nd in 2022, behind Karim Benzema.
His nomination rewards a strong season with Al-Nassr, Saudi champions for the first time in seven years. But the Saudi league gets little attention from voters, and Senegal's exit in the World Cup round of 32, beaten 3-2 by Belgium after extra time, counted against him.
The absentees were also a talking point. Mohamed Salah, fourth in 2025, is not among the 30, and neither is Serhou Guirassy, who was nominated last year. Afrik.com also regrets that Ismaila Sarr, a Conference League winner with Crystal Palace, was overlooked, along with his compatriot Pape Gueye of Villarreal. With two representatives against three in 2025, Africa's presence is shrinking.
Yan Diomande and the goalkeepers, Africa's other side
Things look better in the other categories. Ivorian winger Yan Diomande was one of the ten finalists for the Kopa Trophy, which rewards the best player under 21. Lamine Yamal won it, but Diomande's presence confirms the rise of a player Herve Renard has called up for the double header against Gambia in November.
