Ballon d'Or 2026 nominees: Full list of players and nominations

The 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees have been announced, with Paris Saint-Germain dominating the men's shortlist after a remarkable 2025/26 campaign.

France Football unveiled the nominees on Tuesday, September 8, with 30 players shortlisted for the men's Ballon d'Or.

Defending champion Ousmane Dembélé has been nominated again, although he faces strong competition from several of his PSG teammates as he attempts to retain the prestigious individual prize.

PSG's impressive season has earned the French club a major presence on the shortlist, while Spain leads the way among national teams with six nominees.

Among the other leading contenders are Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.

Former Ballon d'Or winners Rodri and Lionel Messi are also included, although Messi faces an uphill battle to claim a record-extending ninth award after Argentina's defeat in the World Cup final.

Ballon d'Or 2026 nominees

The 30 nominees for the 2026 men's Ballon d'Or are:

PSG dominate the Ballon d'Or shortlist

Paris Saint-Germain are heavily represented among the 30 nominees following their outstanding 2025/26 season.

Dembélé is joined by Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, William Pacho, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha, while Ferran Torres is also listed following his move to the French champions.

The strong PSG presence reflects the club's success both domestically and in Europe during the season.

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Messi receives 17th Ballon d'Or nomination

Lionel Messi has received another Ballon d'Or nomination, taking his career tally to an extraordinary 17.

The Inter Miami forward remains in contention after another impressive campaign and his performances at the 2026 World Cup.

However, Argentina's defeat in the final could count against the eight-time winner as he attempts to secure a historic ninth Ballon d'Or.

Ballon d'Or Feminin 2026 nominees

The nominees for the women's Ballon d'Or include several of the biggest names in women's football.

• Selma Bacha — OL Lyonnes/France

• Barbra Banda — Orlando Pride/Zambia

• Klara Bühl — Bayern Munich/Germany

• Esmee Brugts — Barcelona/Netherlands

• Mariona Caldentey — Arsenal/Spain

• Scarlett Camberos — Club América/Mexico

• Kerstin Casparij — Manchester City/Netherlands

• Temwa Chawinga — Kansas City Current/Malawi

• Cata Coll — Barcelona/Spain

• Melchie Dumornay — OL Lyonnes/Haiti

• Caroline Graham Hansen — Barcelona/Norway

• Alex Greenwood — Manchester City/England

• Patri Guijarro — Barcelona/Spain

• Pernille Harder — Bayern Munich/Denmark

• Yui Hasegawa — Manchester City/Japan

• Rose Lavelle — Gotham City/USA

• Mapi León — Barcelona/London City Lionesses/Spain

• Lorena — Kansas City Current/Brazil

• Melvine Malard — Manchester United/Chelsea/France

• Manaka Matsukubo — North Carolina Courage/Chelsea/Japan

• Ewa Pajor — Barcelona/Poland

• Vivianne Miedema — Manchester City/Netherlands

• Claudia Pina — Barcelona/Spain

• Alexia Putellas — Barcelona/London City Lionesses

• Alessia Russo — Arsenal/England

• Momoko Tanikawa — Bayern Munich/Japan

• Wendie Renard — OL Lyonnes/France

• Khadija Shaw — Manchester City/Jamaica

• Caroline Weir — Real Madrid/OL Lyonnes/Scotland

• Tessa Wullaert — Inter Milan/Como/Belgium

Men's Young Talent of the Year nominees

The nominees for the men's young player award are:

• Kerim Alajbegovic — Salzburg/Juventus

• Ayyoub Bouaddi — Lille/Manchester City

• Pau Cubarsí — Barcelona

• Yan Diomande — RB Leipzig/Real Madrid

• Lennart Karl — Bayern Munich

• Eli Junior Kroupi — Bournemouth

• Lamine Yamal — Barcelona

• Johan Manzambi — Freiburg/Aston Villa

• Ibrahim Maza — Bayer Leverkusen

• Warren Zaïre-Emery — Paris Saint-Germain

Women's Young Talent of the Year nominees

• Veerle Buurman — Chelsea

• Vicky López — Barcelona Femeni

• Felicia Schröder — BK Häcken/Real Madrid

• Clara Serrajordi — Barcelona Femeni

• Lily Yohannes — OL Lyonnes

Men's Coach of the Year nominees

Five coaches have been shortlisted for the men's Coach of the Year award:

• Mikel Arteta — Arsenal

• Luis de la Fuente — Spain

• Unai Emery — Aston Villa

• Vincent Kompany — Bayern Munich

• Luis Enrique — Paris Saint-Germain

Women's Coach of the Year nominees

• Jonatan Giráldez — OL Lyonnes

• Andrée Jeglertz — Manchester City

• Nils Nielsen — Japan

• Pere Romeu — Barcelona Femeni

• Elena Sadiku — Celtic/BK Häcken

Nielsen left his position as Japan coach after his contract expired in April 2026.

Yashin Trophy 2026 nominees

The nominees for the men's Yashin Trophy, awarded to the world's best goalkeeper, are:

• Yassine Bounou — Al Hilal/Morocco

• Thibaut Courtois — Real Madrid/Belgium

• Gregor Kobel — Borussia Dortmund/Switzerland

• Joan García — Barcelona/Spain

• Edouard Mendy — Al Ahli/Senegal

• Emiliano Martínez — Aston Villa/Chelsea

• David Raya — Arsenal/Spain

• Vozinha — Colo-Colo/Cape Verde

• Unai Simón — Athletic Club/Spain

• Matvey Safonov — Paris Saint-Germain/Russia

Women's Goalkeeper of the Year nominees

• Ann-Katrin Berger — Gotham FC/Germany

• Cata Coll — Barcelona Femeni/Spain

• Hannah Hampton — Chelsea/England

• Lorena — Kansas City Current/Brazil

• Ayaka Yamashita — Manchester City/Japan

Women's Club of the Year nominees

The five nominees are:

• Barcelona Femeni

• Bayern Munich

• Club América Femenil

• Manchester City

• OL Lyonnes

Men's Club of the Year nominees

The men's nominees are:

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• Arsenal

• Bayern Munich

• Bodø/Glimt

• Flamengo

• Paris Saint-Germain

When is the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony?

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on Monday, October 26, 2026.

The ceremony will be held in London, England, rather than the traditional venue in Paris.

The event will mark the 70th edition of the Ballon d'Or, with the move to London also paying tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the inaugural winner of the award in 1956.

How is the Ballon d'Or winner decided?

The Ballon d'Or winners are decided through a voting process involving international journalists.

For the men's award, journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men's world ranking vote for their preferred players from the shortlist. The women's Ballon d'Or uses journalists from the top 50 nations in the FIFA women's world ranking.

Voters rank their selections, with players receiving different points depending on their position on each ballot.

The player who collects the most points is crowned the Ballon d'Or winner.

Since 2022, the voting criteria have focused on three major factors:

1. Individual performances during the previous season

2. Team success and achievements

3. Player behaviour and fair play

The award no longer places emphasis on a player's overall career achievements.

The Ballon d'Or was initially created to recognise the best European player, but eligibility was expanded in 1995 to include non-European players competing in Europe. In 2007, the award became global, allowing any player in the world to be nominated regardless of where they played.