With the Ballon d'Or race tighter than ever before, BBC Sport looks at how the World Cup final could determine the 2026 winner.

Lamine Yamal is hoping to claim the Ballon d'Or for the first time, while Lionel Messi is looking to win his ninth When Spain and Argentina meet in Sunday's World Cup final, the thought of lifting the famous trophy will be the only thing on the players' minds. However, the result at New York New Jersey Stadium could prove significant beyond crowning the world champions - it could effectively decide who wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or. The era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo domination may be long gone, but in recent years there has still always been a clear favourite to scoop the prize. There are plenty of contenders, although history tells us it is difficult to take top spot without also winning the Champions League or a major international tournament in the same year. Could the World Cup final decide who will earn the award - perhaps swinging it the way of Lamine Yamal or Messi - or will the winner be someone else? In one of the tightest races in history, the decisive moment might not have happened yet. Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe all put up extraordinary goalscoring numbers in 2025-26, but that is only one part of the story.