The complete shortlists for the 2026 Men’s and Women’s Ballon d’Or awards have officially been revealed, with some of the biggest names in world football included among the nominees.
European champions Paris Saint-Germain lead the men’s shortlist with 10 nominees, including reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and midfielder Vitinha, who finished third in last year’s voting.
Lionel Messi has also earned a place on the shortlist as he looks to claim a record-extending ninth Ballon d’Or. Meanwhile, 2024 winner Rodri returns to the list following a memorable summer with Spain at the World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball.
Here is the complete list of 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees, along with the candidates for the other major awards.
Ballon d’Or 2026: Full List of Nominees and Award Categories
Men’s 2026 Ballon d’Or Nominees
Women’s 2026 Ballon d’Or Nominees
2026 Kopa Trophy Nominees
2026 Yashin Trophy Nominees
2026 Coach of the Year Nominees
2026 Club of the Year Nominees
When Is the 2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony?
Men’s 2026 Ballon d’Or Nominees
Player | Team |
|---|---|
Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid |
Pau Cubarsí | Barcelona |
Marc Cucurella | Chelsea/Real Madrid |
Ousmane Dembélé | Paris Saint-Germain |
Luis Díaz | Bayern Munich |
Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United |
Gabriel | Arsenal |
Erling Haaland | Manchester City |
Achraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain |
Harry Kane | Bayern Munich |
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Paris Saint-Germain |
Lamine Yamal | Barcelona |
Sadio Mané | Al Nassr |
Marquinhos | Paris Saint-Germain |
Lautaro Martínez | Inter Milan |
Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid |
Nuno Mendes | Paris Saint-Germain |
Lionel Messi | Inter Miami |
João Neves | Paris Saint-Germain |
Michael Olise | Bayern Munich |
Willian Pacho | Paris Saint-Germain |
Julián Quiñones | Al Qadsiah |
Declan Rice | Arsenal |
Rodri | Manchester City/Barcelona |
Fabián Ruiz | Paris Saint-Germain |
William Saliba | Arsenal |
Ferran Torres | Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain |
Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich |
Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid |
Vitinha | Paris Saint-Germain |
The 2026 Ballon d’Or race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent years, with several elite players having a realistic chance of claiming football’s most prestigious individual prize.
Among the leading contenders are familiar names such as Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid and Barcelona star Lamine Yamal. Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is also expected to challenge near the top of the rankings after an outstanding season in which he scored 73 goals for club and country.
Yamal is one of three Barcelona players on the shortlist, alongside young defender Pau Cubarsí and midfielder Rodri, who joined Barcelona from Manchester City during the summer. Ferran Torres also makes the list after his performances for Barcelona, although he has since moved to PSG, giving the French champions 10 representatives.
Reigning winner Ousmane Dembélé will be hoping to defend his Ballon d’Or crown. However, the PSG forward has identified teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as one of the club’s strongest candidates for the award this year.
Real Madrid have four nominees on the 30-player shortlist. Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham are joined by Marc Cucurella, who is also listed following his involvement with Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has once again earned a place among the nominees after producing impressive performances for Argentina at the World Cup. However, there is no place on this year’s shortlist for his longtime career rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Al Nassr are nevertheless represented by another experienced forward, Sadio Mané.
The nomination marks the 17th time Messi has been shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or, leaving him just one nomination behind Ronaldo’s record of 18.
Women’s 2026 Ballon d’Or Nominees
Player | Team |
|---|---|
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 |
Clàudia 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 |
An injury-hit campaign has prevented Aitana Bonmatí from pursuing a fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or Féminin. Her absence, however, has created an opportunity for a new player to claim the award and potentially become only the fifth different winner in the history of the women’s Ballon d’Or.
Alexia Putellas remains one of the leading contenders, although she will not be taking the trophy back to Barcelona if she wins it, having moved to London City Lionesses during the summer.
Barcelona’s strongest hopes could instead rest with prolific striker Ewa Pajor, while teammates Patri Guijarro and Caroline Graham Hansen will also be looking to finish high in the final standings.
Melchie Dumornay of OL Lyonnes is another player expected to challenge for the award. She is joined among the leading candidates by experienced forwards Pernille Harder and Khadija Shaw, representing Bayern Munich and Manchester City respectively.
The NWSL also has a strong presence on the 2026 women’s Ballon d’Or shortlist. Back-to-back MVP Temwa Chawinga is nominated alongside Kansas City Current teammate Lorena. Gotham FC midfielder Rose Lavelle and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda complete the league’s representation.
2026 Kopa Trophy Nominees
Two-time winner and reigning champion Lamine Yamal is aiming to make history by winning a third consecutive Kopa Trophy.
The Barcelona and Spain star faces competition from teammate Pau Cubarsí, as well as a number of other highly rated young players from across Europe.
Real Madrid’s Yan Diomande, Manchester City’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery are among the other notable nominees on the star-studded shortlist.
Barcelona also have two representatives in the Women’s Kopa Trophy race. Last year’s winner Vicky López returns to defend her title and is joined by midfield prospect Clara Serrajordi.
Chelsea’s Veerle Buurman, Real Madrid’s Felicia Schröder and USWNT midfielder Lily Yohannes, who represents OL Lyonnes, complete the top five candidates highlighted for the award.
2026 Yashin Trophy Nominees
A total of 10 goalkeepers have been nominated for the 2026 Yashin Trophy, an award named after legendary Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin, the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or.
Among the leading candidates are David Raya of Arsenal, Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid and Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García.
The trio are considered early favorites to take the award away from Gianluigi Donnarumma, who won the Yashin Trophy in 2025 but has not been nominated this year.
The three finalists from last season’s Women’s Yashin Trophy are also back in contention. Hannah Hampton of Chelsea, Ann-Katrin Berger of Gotham FC and Cata Coll of Barcelona have all been shortlisted again.
2026 Coach of the Year Nominees
Spain has a particularly strong presence among the men’s Coach of the Year nominees.
National team manager Luis de la Fuente is joined by Mikel Arteta of Arsenal, Unai Emery of Aston Villa, Luis Enrique of Paris Saint-Germain and Vincent Kompany of Bayern Munich.
Kompany enters the shortlist after guiding Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga, German Cup and German Super Cup. Luis Enrique is also among the leading candidates after a trophy-filled campaign with PSG, which included the Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, Ligue 1 and French Super Cup.
The Women’s Coach of the Year category features a more international mix of candidates.
Jonatan Giráldez of OL Lyonnes, Andrée Jeglertz of Manchester City, Nils Nielsen of the Japan national team, Pere Romeu of Barcelona and Elena Sadiku of BK Häcken have all been nominated.
2026 Club of the Year Nominees
The 2026 Club of the Year award features several of the biggest names in European and international football.
Reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain won the award last year and are now attempting to become the first club to claim back-to-back honors.
PSG face competition from Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Flamengo and Bodø/Glimt as they look to secure another major individual recognition following their European success.
In the Women’s Club of the Year category, Barcelona enter the race as one of the leading favorites.
However, the Catalan club faces significant competition from Bayern Munich, Manchester City, OL Lyonnes and Club América, all of whom have been recognized for their performances over the previous season.
When Is the 2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony?
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in London, England, marking a major change from recent editions of the prestigious event.
For the first time since 2019, the ceremony will not be hosted at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Instead, the awards ceremony is moving to London, where football’s biggest individual honors will be presented in a celebration that will also pay tribute to Stanley Matthews, the inaugural Ballon d’Or winner.
The winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or will be announced at the ceremony on October 26, 2026. The official Ballon d’Or site confirms that the ceremony will take place in London on that date.
With Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha and several other elite players on the shortlist, the 2026 Ballon d’Or promises to be one of the most closely watched editions of the award in recent years.