Unconfirmed reports claim Messi has secured the Ballon d'Or before the World Cup final

Sports accounts and websites circulated news claiming that the International Federation of Association Football decided to award the Argentine star Lionel Messi the Golden Ball for the best player in the 2026 World Cup, regardless of the result of the final match against Spain.
The circulated reports were based on information attributed to the site «The Touchline», which spoke about a meeting held by the committee responsible for individual awards on Friday, during which they settled on choosing the captain of the Argentine national team.
However, «FIFA» has not yet issued any official statement confirming the award decision, nor has the international federation published the results of the meeting or a decision announcing the winner's name before the final match.
The official coverage of the tournament still presents Messi as one of the top candidates to win the Golden Ball, alongside a number of stars from Spain and the teams that reached the later stages.
Thus, the circulated information remains within the framework of unconfirmed leaks and cannot be treated as an official announcement or final result before the award ceremony.

Messi delivers an exceptional tournament
Messi, 39 years old, enters the World Cup final after playing seven matches with the Argentine national team, scoring eight goals, along with four assists.
The captain of Argentina directly contributed to his country's team reaching the final, whether through scoring or creating chances and decisive goals in the knockout stages.
Messi is also competing for the Golden Boot award for the top scorer in the tournament, having entered the final round tied with or ahead of his closest competitors according to the number of goals and assists used to break ties.
His statistics, artistic influence, and presence in major matches give him a strong chance to win the best player award, although the final result and performance during it may remain influential factors in the final evaluation.

The award is the responsibility of the Technical Studies Group
The Technical Studies Group affiliated with «FIFA» follows the tournament matches, analyzes the performance of players and teams, and selects the winners of individual awards, including the Golden Ball, the Golden Glove, and the best young player award.
The group includes a number of former international coaches and players as well as technical experts, and bases its evaluation on on-field performance, technical data, and the overall impact of the player during the tournament.
It is not required that the Golden Ball winner be from the team that wins the World Cup, as the award has previously been given to players who lost the final match or did not win the title.
However, the official announcement of the award usually takes place after the final, during the coronation ceremony and the presentation of individual and team awards.

A chance for an unprecedented historic record
Messi has previously won the World Cup Golden Ball twice, in Brazil in 2014 and Qatar in 2022, and he is the only player to have won the award twice since it was adopted in its current form.
If he is crowned with it in the 2026 edition, he will become the first player in history to win the best player award at the World Cup three times, and he will have won it in three tournaments separated by 12 years.
Messi also aims to lead Argentina to retain the title it won in Qatar and achieve the World Cup for the fourth time in its history and the second consecutive time.
On the other hand, Spain enters the final seeking its second world title after its only triumph in 2010, relying on a group of players who have delivered outstanding performances throughout the tournament.
The final is scheduled to take place on Sunday evening, July 19, at the New York–New Jersey stadium in East Rutherford, with the individual awards to be officially announced after the match.
Until that announcement is made, Messi remains the top candidate for the Golden Ball, but talk of the award being decided in advance remains an unconfirmed claim and is not based on an official announcement issued by the International Federation of Association Football.