The superstars have turned up at the 2026 World Cup.Off-pitch issues hovered over the tournament, but the football has delivered. Hydration breaks, the four-panel Trionda, and a 48-team field have shaped a summer that has felt busy, loud, and frequently brilliant.Lionel Messi is turning back the clock and adding to the record books again. Around him, the rest are gathering, each pushing to make their case.Now that the group stage is done, here are the contenders for the Ballon d’Or — which will be awarded in October — who have seized their moment, plus what comes next for them.1. Lionel Messi, 39 (Inter Miami, Argentina)Many thought the 2022 Qatar final was Messi’s final act. He had won the one thing that had eluded him in a way that felt inevitable. Then he moved to Miami for what seemed like a wind-down. Yet the illusion has quickly faded, revealing an appetite for the biggest stage that remains fiercely insatiable.He still drifts through the middle at walking pace and still takes the game on his own terms. Yet his actions on the ball are as sharp as ever, and records have fallen in every match he has played. A hat-trick against Algeria in the opener made him the oldest player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup. A brace against Austria took him past Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals. A free kick against Jordan made him the first player in history to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches.The record books are struggling to keep up. One goal away from surpassing his best World Cup campaign in 2022, Messi is dismantling milestones to guide Argentina toward back-to-back glory.Lionel Messi has already scored six times at the 2026 World Cup (David Ramos/Getty Images)What’s next: Cape Verde in Miami — the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup knockout, through on three draws without a single win. Win there, and the winner of Australia against Egypt in Atlanta awaits — a path that, on paper, is as favourable as any contender in the draw.Lead Argentina through it, claim the Golden Boot, and surely the Ballon d’Or in October takes care of itself.2. Kylian Mbappe, 27 (Real Madrid, France)Mbappe arrived at this World Cup with a different mindset and a different role, leading France on the biggest stage for the first time. He has been the focal point of a versatile attack, setting the tone with his goals. He has 16 shots, nine on target, both competition highs.His 100th cap came against Iraq, making him the youngest French player to reach the milestone at just 27 years and 184 days. He has 16 World Cup goals in 16 appearances, trailing Messi’s 19, equalling Klose’s former record.What’s next: Sweden in New Jersey is first, but the bracket beyond it is the real story. France could face Germany next, then the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and Spain in the semi-finals.Assuming favourites advance, Mbappe’s path to the MetLife final runs through three of the tournament’s best sides. Potentially, four knockout games now stand between Mbappe and the podium.3. Ousmane Dembele, 29 (Paris Saint-Germain, France)It is striking that Dembele’s first World Cup goal has come at his third tournament with Les Bleus. His scoring for the national team had been drying up until he found the net in the second half against Iraq and then added three more in the first half against Norway. It was the second fastest hat-trick in World Cup history, behind only Erich Probst in 1954.Four goals from an xG of 0.97 is the tournament’s biggest overperformance so far. Three carries ending in goals, more than anyone else, underline his ability to finish off either foot.Dembele has spent the last two seasons delivering when it matters most for PSG, in Champions League knockouts, finals, and the nights when the reigning Ballon d’Or holder is expected to perform. This World Cup feels like the next step in that progression.Dembele’s shooting has been exceptional so far at the 2026 World Cup (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)What’s next: Sweden in New York, then a bracket that points towards Germany in Philadelphia. The route is kind geographically, but the football will only get tougher. For Dembele, defending the Ballon d’Or now comes down to a defining knockout performance against top-level opposition.4. Vinicius Junior, 25 (Real Madrid, Brazil)Vinicius Jr has already put to rest the criticism that followed his performances in Brazil’s shirt, particularly the idea that he could not replicate his club form for the national team. Four goals and an assist in three games, along with man-of-the-match displays, helped Brazil finish top of Group C after a sluggish draw against Morocco. He has scored in each of Brazil’s group games, joining Jairzinho, Romario, Ronaldo and Rivaldo as the only Brazilians to do so.The transformation under Carlo Ancelotti is already clear: seven goals in 13 caps under his former club coach, compared with six in 39 before. With an xG of 3.51 across three games (the highest in the tournament) and seven carries ending in shots — more than any other player — he has evolved into Brazil’s talisman, and is now turning his high-volume actions into match-winning moments.