Moroccan Players Achieve High Rankings at 2026 Ballon d'Or

Three Moroccan footballers achieved significant rankings at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, held at the Palladium Theatre in London on Monday evening. Achraf Hakimi secured the 13th position in the overall ranking for the best players in the world, while Yassine Bounou finished 8th in the Yashin Award for the best goalkeeper. Ayoub Bouaddi came in 6th for the Kopa Award, which honors the best young player.

Harry Kane, the striker for Bayern Munich, was crowned the winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or, edging out Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, who finished second and third, respectively. Other notable finishers included Rodri in fourth, Lionel Messi in fifth, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in sixth, and Osman Dembélé in seventh. Erling Haaland and Michael Olise took the eighth and ninth positions, respectively, with Fabian Ruiz rounding out the top ten.

Hakimi, a defender for Paris Saint-Germain, secured his position despite competing against prominent European players. He played 11 matches for PSG during the 2026-2027 season, accumulating 833 minutes and contributing one assist in the Champions League, along with 15 goal-scoring opportunities. Hakimi's defensive and offensive contributions on the right flank were pivotal in his ranking.

Yassine Bounou, the goalkeeper for Sevilla, finished eighth in the Yashin Award. He was outranked by Unaí Simón of Athletic Bilbao, David Raya of Arsenal, and Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid. The Russian Matvei Safonov and the Argentine Emiliano Martínez also finished in the top five.

Bouaddi, a midfielder for Angers, secured the sixth position in the Kopa Award. He was outranked by Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid and Pau Cubarsi of Barcelona, who finished 11th and 12th, respectively. Bouaddi's performance with Angers and the Moroccan national team contributed to his ranking.