In 2025, the competition between Dembele and Yamal was won by Dembele, with the reason being that Dembele led PSG to win the European Champions League trophy, and Yamal lost.
And in 2026, Lamine Yamal's performance has been very good, consistent, and entertaining for football fans, and most importantly, Lamine Yamal helped Spain win the World Cup trophy.
So if Lamine Yamal does NOT win the Ballon d'Or trophy in 2026, the quality of the journalists who have the right to vote for the Ballon d'Or winner is questionable.