Kolkata: The nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards have been announced, setting up one of the most awaited evening in football. The 70th edition of the prestigious ceremony will take place in London on October 26, with the awards given to the best players during the 2025-26 season.
Lionel Messi has returned to the Ballon d’Or shortlist after two years, adding further excitement to the race for football’s most prestigious individual award. The eight-time winner joins Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal among the nominees for the 2026 award.
The shortlist features an collection of football’s biggest stars, young talents, best goalkeepers, coaches and clubs. Paris Saint-Germain leads the pack in the men’s individual awards, while Barcelona boast an enviable number of candidates on the women’s side.
Men’s Ballon d’Or
The 30-player men’s shortlist contains a mixture of established superstars and the next generation of footballing icons.
The nominees are:
Jude Bellingham — Real Madrid
Pau Cubarsí — Barcelona
Marc Cucurella — Chelsea/Real Madrid
Ousmane Dembélé — Paris Saint-Germain
Erling Haaland — Manchester City
Gabriel Magalhães — Arsenal
Luis Díaz — Bayern Munich
Bruno Fernandes — Manchester United
Harry Kane — Bayern Munich
Achraf Hakimi — Paris Saint-Germain
Lamine Yamal — Barcelona
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — Paris Saint-Germain
Marquinhos — Paris Saint-Germain
Sadio Mané — Al-Nassr
Lautaro Martínez — Inter Milan
Kylian Mbappé — Real Madrid
Nuno Mendes — Paris Saint-Germain
Lionel Messi — Inter Miami
Michael Olise — Bayern Munich
João Neves — Paris Saint-Germain
Willian Pacho — Paris Saint-Germain
Julián Quiñones — Al-Qadsiah
Declan Rice — Arsenal
Rodri — Manchester City/Barcelona
William Saliba — Arsenal
Dayot Upamecano — Bayern Munich
Vinícius Júnior — Real Madrid
Vitinha — Paris Saint-Germain
Fabián Ruiz — Paris Saint-Germain
Ferran Torres — Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain
Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and the defending champion Ousmane Dembélé are among the names on the player shortlist.
The shortlist stands out for the return of Lionel Messi, who missed out on the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and 2025. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is again not nominated and has not been since 2022.
PSG dominate in terms of representation on the shortlist with nine players from their recent squad.
Women’s Ballon d’Or
There is also a shortlist of 30 players for the women’s Ballon d’Or, with Barcelona again well-represented.
The nominees are:
Selma Bacha — OL Lyonnes
Barbra Banda — Orlando Pride
Klara Bühl — Bayern Munich
Esmee Brugts — Barcelona
Mariona Caldentey — Arsenal
Scarlett Camberos — Club América
Kerstin Casparij — Manchester City
Temwa Chawinga — Kansas City Current
Cata Coll — Barcelona
Melchie Dumornay — OL Lyonnes
Caroline Graham Hansen — Barcelona
Alex Greenwood — Manchester City
Patri Guijarro — Barcelona
Pernille Harder — Bayern Munich
Yui Hasegawa — Manchester City
Rose Lavelle — Gotham FC
Mapi León — Barcelona/London City Lionesses
Lorena — Kansas City Current
Melvine Malard — Manchester United/Chelsea
Manaka Matsukubo — North Carolina Courage/Chelsea
Vivianne Miedema — Manchester City
Ewa Pajor — Barcelona
Claudia Pina — Barcelona
Alexia Putellas — Barcelona/London City Lionesses
Wendie Renard — OL Lyonnes
Alessia Russo — Arsenal
Khadija Shaw — Manchester City
Momoko Tanikawa — Bayern Munich
Caroline Weir — Real Madrid/OL Lyonnes
Tessa Wullaert — Inter Milan/Como
One of the notable absences is Aitana Bonmatí, the previous three-time winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or, who was forced to miss most of the campaign after suffering a serious leg injury. Six players from Barcelona have made the cut for the women’s Ballon d’Or, namely Graham Hansen, Guijarro, Pajor, Pina, Esmee Brugts, Cata Coll, and Alexia Putellas who just joined London City Lionesses this summer and is the most favourite to win the award.
Men’s Young Talent of the Year
The young-player award has once again proved an enthralling race, with a thrilling shortlist.
The nominees are:
Kerim Alajbegović — RB Salzburg/Juventus
Ayyoub Bouaddi — Lille/Manchester City
Pau Cubarsí — Barcelona
Yan Diomandé — RB Leipzig/Real Madrid
Lennart Karl — Bayern Munich
Éli Junior Kroupi — Bournemouth
Lamine Yamal — Barcelona
Johan Manzambi — Freiburg/Aston Villa
Ibrahim Maza — Bayer Leverkusen
Warren Zaïre-Emery — Paris Saint-Germain
Lamine Yamal is the name to know. The Barcelona forward has won the prize twice already and is looking to make it three in a row. He scored 25 goals and provided 20 assists in his 2025-26 campaign, which was crowned by World Cup glory and domestic triumph.
Women’s Young Talent of the Year
The women’s young-player shortlist includes five names:
Veerle Buurman — Chelsea
Vicky López — Barcelona
Felicia Schröder — Häcken/Real Madrid
Clara Serrajordi — Barcelona
Lily Yohannes — OL Lyonnes
Vicky Lopez is well aware of the award after winning it in the year 2025. The forward spent an excellent season with Barcelona, managing to score 17 goals and record 15 assists in the process. Having won the Champions League, Spanish league and multiple domestic competitions, Lopez has experienced an outstanding calendar year.
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
The 10 nominees are:
Yassine Bounou — Al-Hilal
Thibaut Courtois — Real Madrid
Joan García — Barcelona
Gregor Kobel — Borussia Dortmund
Emiliano Martínez — Aston Villa/Chelsea
Édouard Mendy — Al-Ahli
David Raya — Arsenal
Matvey Safonov — Paris Saint-Germain
Unai Simón — Athletic Bilbao
Vozinha — Chaves/Colo-Colo
Spain’s David Raya, who combined 29 clean sheets with Premier League and World Cup success, is among the leading names on a strong shortlist.
Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year
The five nominees are:
Ann-Katrin Berger — Gotham FC
Cata Coll — Barcelona
Hannah Hampton — Chelsea
Lorena — Kansas City Current
Ayaka Yamashita — Manchester City
Brazilian goalkeeper Lorena is the only Brazilian nominee in the women’s goalkeeper category. Cats Coll had an amazing season at FC Barcelona winning the UEFA Champions League.
Men’s Coach of the Year
Five managers have been shortlisted:
Mikel Arteta — Arsenal
Luis de la Fuente — Spain
Unai Emery — Aston Villa
Vincent Kompany — Bayern Munich
Luis Enrique — Paris Saint-Germain
Luis Enrique enters the race after another extraordinary season with PSG, while Arteta is recognised after guiding Arsenal to the Premier League title. De la Fuente is also a major contender following Spain’s World Cup triumph.
Women’s Coach of the Year
The nominees are:
Jonatan Giráldez — OL Lyonnes
Andrée Jeglertz — Manchester City
Nils Nielsen — Japan
Pere Romeu — Barcelona
Elena Sadiku — Häcken
Romeu led Barcelona to the Champions League, Spanish league, Copa de la Reina and Spanish Super Cup, while Giráldez enjoyed a trophy-filled campaign with Lyonnes.
Men’s Club of the Year
Five clubs are competing for the men’s Club of the Year award:
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Bodø/Glimt
Flamengo
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG arrive as the reigning European champions after winning the Champions League, while Flamengo provide South American representation following their Libertadores and Brazilian championship success.
Women’s Club of the Year
The nominees are:
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Club América
Manchester City
OL Lyonnes
Barcelona are among the strongest contenders after completing a season featuring the Champions League, Spanish league, Copa de la Reina and Spanish Super Cup.
The Striker and Sócrates Awards
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will also include awards for the Men’s and Women’s Striker of the Year, formerly known as the Gerd Müller Trophy, plus the Sócrates Award for players’ humanitarian and social work.
A new era in London
The 2026 ceremony will be special as the Men’s and Women’s Striker of the Year (Gerd Müller Trophy) awards will take place in London for the first time, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d’Or trophy. It also marks the first time the competition has been held outside Paris since its launch. The new location pays tribute to the inaugural Ballon d’Or winner and England legend Sir Stanley Matthews.
The winners will be selected by an international jury of journalists. The top 100 men’s FIFA-ranked nations and top 50 women’s FIFA-ranked nations’ voters will rank their choices based on individual achievement, team success and major trophies, as well as sportsmanship and fair play.
With World Cup winners, Champions League winners, established superstars and a rising crop of young stars in the mix, the 2026 Ballon d’Or could well be the most closely watched edition yet.
The winners will be announced in London on October 26, 2026.
