Icon Sportswire
21 Jul 2026 09:56-05:00
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Will these predictions come true?
The race for the 2026 African Ballon d’Or has kicked off in the media, and one name is emerging strongly: Ismaila Sarr. An exceptional season on both an individual and collective level has thrust the Crystal Palace forward into the reckoning, with the Senegalese press touting him among the front-runners to succeed Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, who claimed the award last time out.
According to Senegalese website “SeneNews”, Sarr holds “all the cards” to win it. He scored 21 goals in the 2025-2026 season and lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League with Crystal Palace, and he shone for the Senegal national team at the 2026 World Cup.
What stood out in the report, though, was not merely Sarr’s nomination. The site described him as “African champion with Senegal”, despite his country being stripped of the title in Morocco’s favour by decision of the Confederation of African Football.
Senegal had received the title after beating Morocco in the final, held in Rabat.
Then, on 17 March 2026, the CAF appeals committee delivered a decisive ruling. It considered the Senegal national team to have withdrawn and lost the final, and officially recorded the result as 3-0 in Morocco’s favour.
That decision handed Morocco the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations crown under CAF’s official ruling. Senegal held firm to their account of events and challenged the decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Away from the legal controversy, “SeneNews” reckons Sarr’s technical and statistical file gives him a significant edge in the race for the African Ballon d’Or.
Those 21 goals and that historic Conference League triumph tell only part of the story. Sarr also impressed for Senegal at the 2026 World Cup, finishing as the top scorer among African teams in the tournament with four goals.
Combine the collective achievement with the individual brilliance, and Sarr’s season is exactly the kind that tends to earn great recognition when the continent picks its best player.
Sarr himself has already spoken of his ambition. “It is a dream for me to win the African Ballon d’Or,” he said.
