France Football has released the nominee lists for the 2026 Ballon d'Or across all categories ahead of the main prize. The 70th edition of the ceremony will take place on October 26 at the London Palladium.
This year's edition carries historic weight: it is the first time the ceremony will not be held in France, and the first time playing in Europe will not be a prerequisite for nomination. The eligibility window runs from August to July of the sporting season, and performances at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico are expected to carry significant weight in the voting.
Men's Ballon d'Or nominees
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Pau Cubarsí (FC Barcelona)
- Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid)
- Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich)
- Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal)
- Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr)
- Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lautaro Martínez (Inter)
- 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 (FC Barcelona)
- Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain)
- William Saliba (Arsenal)
- Ferran Torres (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
- Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona)
Women's Ballon d'Or nominees
- Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes)
- Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride)
- Esmee Brugts (Barcelona)
- Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich)
- 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 / Como)
Yashin Trophy — Best goalkeeper (men)
- Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal)
- Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
- Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund)
- Joan García (Barcelona)
- Édouard Mendy (Al-Ahli)
- Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa / Chelsea)
- David Raya (Arsenal)
- Vozinha (Colo Colo)
- Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao)
- Matvey Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain)
Yashin Trophy — Best goalkeeper (women)
- Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC)
- Cata Coll (Barcelona)
- Hannah Hampton (Chelsea)
- Lorena (Kansas City Current)
- Ayaka Yamashita (Manchester City)
Best club (men)
- Arsenal (England)
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Bodø/Glimt (Norway)
- Flamengo (Brazil)
- Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Best club (women)
- Barcelona (Spain)
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Club América (Mexico)
- Manchester City (England)
- Olympique Lyonnais (France)
Best young player (men)
- Kerim Alajbegović (Salzburg / Juventus)
- Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City)
- Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
- Yan Diomandé (Leipzig / Real Madrid)
- Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich)
- Éli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
- Johan Manzambi (Freiburg / Aston Villa)
- Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
Best young player (women)
- Veerle Buurman (Chelsea)
- Vicky López (Barcelona)
- Felicia Schröder (Real Madrid)
- Clara Serrajordi (Barcelona)
- Lily Yohannes (Lyon)
Winners are chosen by a jury made up of 100 journalists for the men's category and 50 for the women's category, drawn from the countries best positioned in the FIFA rankings.