The Moroccan full-back of Paris Saint-Germain, Achraf Hakimi, finishes 13th in the 2026 Ballon d’Or, seven places lower than in 2025, but becomes the first African defender to appear twice in the top 15.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings were revealed on Monday 26 October at the London Palladium in London. Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan international right-back of Paris Saint-Germain, takes 13th place, according to Africa Top Sports and Fratmat.info. A year earlier, he had finished 6th.
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) wins the trophy, ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, with 73 goals in 65 matches, reports foot-africa.com. Behind that podium, Hakimi drops seven places but earns a distinction no African defender had obtained before him.
A first despite the drop
The drop is clear: 13th, against 6th in 2025. Africa Top Sports stresses, however, that Hakimi becomes the first African defender to appear twice in the Ballon d’Or top 15.
Over the season, he scored 8 goals and provided 10 assists with PSG, according to africasoccer.com. That tally came in a season that includes Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
The rest of the African contingent
Sadio Mané, the Senegalese forward of Al-Nassr, ranks 29th equal with the Frenchman William Saliba, indicate Afrique-sur-7 and Fratmat.info. He had finished 2nd in 2022, the best placing by an African since George Weah’s win in 1995, recalls Afrique-sur-7.
In the Kopa Trophy, Yan Diomandé, the Ivorian forward prospect of Real Madrid, takes 5th place, ahead of the Moroccan Ayyoub Bouaddi (6th) and the Algerian Ibrahim Maza, attacking midfielder of Bayer Leverkusen (9th), according to foot-africa.com. Bouaddi, born on 2 October 2007 in Senlis, moves up three places from his 9th position in 2025. The midfielder joined Manchester City during the summer, a season in which Morocco reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
In the women’s ranking, Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga is 10th and Zambia’s Barbra Banda 18th, according to Fratmat.info. The Kopa Trophy goes to Lamine Yamal for the third consecutive year, specifies foot-africa.com.
The season continues with PSG
Hakimi continues the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, where his tally of 8 goals and 10 assists can still change.
The next edition of the Ballon d’Or is scheduled for 2027.