Ballon d'Or 2026 nominees announced

London [UK], September 9: France Football magazine, in cooperation with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), today announced the shortlist of nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or awards, marking the final stage of voting ahead of the awards ceremony scheduled to take place in London on October 26.The shortlist features 30 nominees for the Men's Ballon d'Or and 30 for the Women's Ballon d'Or, alongside nominees for best male and female goalkeeper, best young player, best coach, and club of the year across both categories.
The men's shortlist includes high-profile figures such as Spain's Lamine Yamal, France's Kylian Mbappe, Spain's Rodri, France's Ousmane Dembele, Brazil's Vinícius Júnior, Argentina's Lionel Messi, and Norway's Erling Haaland. Paris Saint-Germain emerged as the most-represented club among the Men's Player nominees.
The announcement drew widespread attention following the absence of several prominent players, including Brazil's Raphinha, while Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was omitted for the fourth consecutive year. Lionel Messi returned to the candidate list after missing out on the previous two editions.
Marking its 70th anniversary, the Ballon d'Or ceremony is being hosted in London for the first time. The accolades are determined by an international panel of journalists representing the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations for the men's awards and top 50 for the women's awards, with voting based on individual performance, team contributions, and sportsmanship.
Source: Emirates News Agency