Ballon d’Or 2026: Full Nominees List, Messi, Mbappé & Yamal

The nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or have been announced, with the world's leading footballers, coaches and clubs shortlisted for honours following the 2025-26 season.

The announcement marks the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or and includes the return of former winners Lionel Messi and Rodri to the men's shortlist. Reigning men's winner Ousmane Dembélé is also nominated.

The 2026 ceremony will take place in London on October 26, marking the first time the event has been held in the British capital. The shortlists cover the men's and women's Ballon d'Or, young talents, goalkeepers, coaches and clubs of the year.

Men's Ballon d'Or nominees

The 30-player men's shortlist features a blend of established winners, World Cup stars and emerging superstars.

• Rodrigo Hernández — Manchester City, Barcelona/Spain
• Lionel Messi — Inter Miami/Argentina
• Kylian Mbappé — Real Madrid/France
• Lamine Yamal — Barcelona/Spain
• Jude Bellingham — Real Madrid/England
• Pau Cubarsí — Barcelona/Spain
• Marc Cucurella — Chelsea, Real Madrid/Spain
• Ousmane Dembélé — Paris Saint-Germain/France
• Luis Díaz — Bayern Munich/Colombia
• Bruno Fernandes — Manchester United/Portugal
• Erling Haaland — Manchester City/Norway
• Gabriel Magalhães — Arsenal/Brazil
• Harry Kane — Bayern Munich/England
• Achraf Hakimi — Paris Saint-Germain/Morocco
• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — Paris Saint-Germain/Georgia
• Marquinhos — Paris Saint-Germain/Brazil
• Sadio Mané — Al-Nassr/Senegal
• Lautaro Martínez — Inter Milan/Argentina
• Nuno Mendes — Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal
• Michael Olise — Bayern Munich/France
• João Neves — Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal
• Willian Pacho — Paris Saint-Germain/Ecuador
• Julián Quiñones — Al-Qadsiah/Mexico
• Declan Rice — Arsenal/England
• Fabián Ruiz — Paris Saint-Germain/Spain
• Ferran Torres — Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain/Spain
• William Saliba — Arsenal/France
• Dayot Upamecano — Bayern Munich/France
• Vinícius Júnior — Real Madrid/Brazil
• Vitinha — Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal

The official announcement confirms nine Paris Saint-Germain players among the 30 nominees, tying the club's record representation. Messi's inclusion is also notable after the Argentine was absent from the men's shortlist in the previous two editions.

Women's Ballon d'Or nominees

The women's shortlist also contains 30 players, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and OL Lyonnes strongly represented.

• 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
• Pernille Harder — Bayern Munich/Denmark
• Patri Guijarro — Barcelona/Spain
• Rose Lavelle — Gotham FC/United States
• Yui Hasegawa — Manchester City/Japan
• 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/Spain
• 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

Aitana Bonmatí, who won the women's award in 2023, 2024 and 2025, is absent from the 2026 shortlist.

Men's Coach of the Year

Five coaches are nominated:

• Mikel Arteta — Arsenal
• Luis de la Fuente — Spain
• Unai Emery — Aston Villa
• Vincent Kompany — Bayern Munich
• Luis Enrique — Paris Saint-Germain

Luis Enrique is seeking another major individual honour after leading PSG to a trophy-filled campaign, while Arteta is nominated following Arsenal's Premier League success.

Women's Coach of the Year

• Jonatan Giráldez — OL Lyonnes
• Andrée Jeglertz — Manchester City
• Nils Nielsen — Japan
• Pere Romeu — Barcelona
• Elena Sadiku — Celtic/BK Häcken

Men's Club of the Year

Five clubs have been shortlisted:

• Arsenal
• Bayern Munich
• Bodø/Glimt
• Flamengo
• Paris Saint-Germain

PSG's inclusion follows a campaign in which the French club collected the Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Ligue 1 and French Super Cup.

Women's Club of the Year

• Barcelona
• Bayern Munich
• Club América
• Manchester City
• OL Lyonnes

Barcelona's nomination comes after a season in which the club won the Champions League, Liga, Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup.

Men's Goalkeeper of the Year

• Yassine Bounou — Al-Hilal/Morocco
• Thibaut Courtois — Real Madrid/Belgium
• Joan García — Barcelona/Spain
• Gregor Kobel — Borussia Dortmund/Switzerland
• Emiliano Martínez — Aston Villa/Chelsea/Argentina
• Édouard Mendy — Al-Ahli/Senegal
• David Raya — Arsenal/Spain
• Matvey Safonov — Paris Saint-Germain/Russia
• Unai Simón — Athletic Bilbao/Spain
• Vozinha — GD Chaves/Colo-Colo/Cape Verde

The official Ballon d'Or statistics show Raya recorded 29 clean sheets in 53 matches, while Safonov was part of PSG's Champions League-winning campaign.

Women's Goalkeeper of the Year

• Ann-Katrin Berger — Gotham FC/England
• Cata Coll — Barcelona/Spain
• Hannah Hampton — Chelsea/England
• Lorena — Kansas City Current/Brazil
• Ayaka Yamashita — Manchester City/Japan

Men's Young Talent of the Year

The 10 nominees are:

• Ayyoub Bouaddi — Lille, Manchester City/Morocco
• Kerim Alajbegović — RB Salzburg, Juventus/Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Yan Diomandé — RB Leipzig, Real Madrid/Côte d'Ivoire
• Pau Cubarsí — Barcelona/Spain
• Lennart Karl — Bayern Munich/Germany
• Éli Junior Kroupi — Bournemouth/France
• Lamine Yamal — Barcelona/Spain
• Ibrahim Maza — Bayer Leverkusen/Algeria
• Johan Manzambi — Freiburg, Aston Villa/Switzerland
• Warren Zaïre-Emery — Paris Saint-Germain/France

Lamine Yamal returns to the young-player shortlist after winning the award in 2025. He is also among the 30 nominees for the senior men's Ballon d'Or.

Women's Young Talent of the Year

• Veerle Buurman — Chelsea/Netherlands
• Vicky López — Barcelona/Spain
• Felicia Schröder — BK Häcken, Real Madrid/Sweden
• Clara Serrajordi — Barcelona/Spain
• Lily Yohannes — OL Lyonnes/United States

When is the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony?

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on Monday, October 26, 2026, in London. It will be the 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony, with the event moving from its traditional Paris setting to London as part of the celebrations around the award's history.

The men's award will succeed Ousmane Dembélé, while the women's winner will succeed Aitana Bonmatí. With Messi back on the shortlist, Yamal continuing his rapid rise, Mbappé among the leading contenders and PSG supplying nine men's nominees, the 2026 edition promises a particularly competitive race.

SportsLigue