Ballon d’Or 2026 nominees announced

The nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or and associated awards have been announced, with the winners to be revealed at a ceremony in London on October 26.

France Football announced the nominees on Tuesday, with 30 players shortlisted for the men’s Ballon d’Or, from which the winner will be selected.

Last year’s winner Ousmane Dembele is in contention for another title, while 2024 winner Rodri has also emerged as a strong candidate after helping his team win the World Cup this summer. Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Michael Olise are also among the contenders.

The nominees for the Men’s Young Talent of the Year award are Kerim Alajbegovic, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pau Cubarsi, Yan Diomande, Lennart Karl, Eli Junior Kroupi, Lamine Yamal, Johan Manzambi, Ibrahim Maza and Warren Zaire-Emery.

The five nominees for Women’s Young Talent of the Year are Veerle Buurman, Vicky Lopez, Felicia Schroder, Clara Serrajordi and Lily Yohannes.

The nominees for Women’s Coach of the Year are Jonatan Giraldez, Andree Jeglertz, Nils Nielsen, Pere Romeu and Elena Sadiku, while the men’s category features Mikel Arteta, Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery, Vincent Kompany and Luis Enrique.

For Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, the nominees are Ann-Katrin Berger, Cata Coll, Hannah Hampton, Lorena and Ayaka Yamashita. The men’s Yashin Trophy nominees are Yassine Bounou, Thibaut Courtois, Gregor Kobel, Joan Garcia, Edouard Mendy, Emiliano Martinez, David Raya, Vozinha, Unai Simon and Matvey Safonov.

The nominees for Women’s Club of the Year are Barcelona Femeni, FC Bayern Frauen, Club America Femenil, Manchester City and OL Lyonnes. The men’s nominees are Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodo/Glimt, Flamengo and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held on October 26 in London. The event will mark the 70th edition of the men’s award and will be held in London instead of its usual venue, Paris, to honour inaugural winner Sir Stanley Matthews.

The men’s Ballon d’Or finalists are selected by an international panel of journalists compiled by France Football. Voting involves one media representative from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA men’s world ranking, while the women’s award involves representatives from the top 50 nations in the FIFA women’s ranking.

Voters rank their selections, with points awarded according to each player’s position on the ballot. The player receiving the most points wins the award.

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