2026 Ballon d'Or Nominees Announced: Who Will Shine in London?
The race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or is on – and this time, football’s biggest individual prize will be handed out under the London lights.
French magazine France Football, in partnership with UEFA, released the full list of nominees on Tuesday evening, confirming the cast of stars who will contest the award for the world’s best player. The winners will be revealed on 26 October, when the ceremony is staged in London for the first time in the award’s history.
That night will not only crown the Ballon d'Or winner. The gala will also decide the “Yashin” trophy for best goalkeeper, the “Kopa” trophy for best young player, and a string of other honours including best coach and best club.
Mbappé, Messi, Rodri headline a stacked field
At the top end of the list, the usual giants loom large. Kylian Mbappé, now leading the line for Real Madrid and still the face of France, is once again central to the conversation after another explosive season and a starring role at the 2026 World Cup.
Lionel Messi is there too. The Inter Miami and Argentina captain continues to bend time and logic, his presence on the shortlist a reminder that his influence still stretches from MLS to the international stage.
Rodri, the metronome of Spain’s midfield, also takes a prominent place among the contenders. After anchoring Manchester City before sealing a move to Barcelona, he stands as one of the defining figures of both club and country over the last campaign.
The list is heavy with players who shone either across the European season or in Qatar’s successor on the global stage. World champions Spain and European champions Paris Saint-Germain dominate the names, underlining their grip on the current era.
Spain’s new wave and PSG’s iron grip
Few names capture the changing of the guard quite like Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona and Spain prodigy has forced his way into the elite conversation while still in his teens, and now stands shoulder to shoulder with the game’s established superstars.
Fabián Ruiz arrives in London’s spotlight as one of the year’s great winners. The midfielder claimed both the Champions League and the World Cup with Paris Saint-Germain and La Roja, a rare double that naturally propels him into Ballon d'Or contention.
Defending Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembélé also returns to the shortlist. The Paris Saint-Germain and France winger will attempt to go back-to-back, though the competition around him looks fiercer than ever.
PSG’s imprint is everywhere: Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Willian Pacho, Vitinha and Ruiz all carry the club’s badge into the race. Their presence underlines the Parisian side’s power in Europe and beyond.
Saudi Pro League breaks through
The Saudi Roshn Pro League places two players among the nominees, a sign of its growing pull at the top level.
Sadio Mané, now at Al-Nassr and still a talisman for Senegal, earns a place on the list. He is joined by Julián Quiñones, the Mexican forward who has become Al-Qadsiah’s main source of goals and now steps onto the global awards stage.
Their inclusion reflects a shifting landscape, where elite talent is no longer confined to Europe’s traditional power leagues.
Heavyweights left at home
For all the star power on the shortlist, the omissions are just as striking.
Cristiano Ronaldo does not make the cut. The Al-Nassr and Portugal captain, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner and a permanent fixture in these conversations for more than a decade, is absent from the list.
Mohamed Salah also misses out. The former Liverpool forward, now with Trabzon and still captain of Egypt, drops off the ballot after years as one of the most reliable names in the top tier of the vote.
Barcelona and Brazil winger Raphinha is another high-profile absentee, as is Pedri, the Barcelona and Spain midfielder who once symbolised the future of the award. Their absence underlines how quickly the spotlight can move in the modern game.
Full list of 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
- Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona, Spain)
- Marc Cucurella (Chelsea, Spain)
- Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
- Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich, Colombia)
- Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal)
- Gabriel (Arsenal, Brazil)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
- Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
- Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr, Senegal)
- Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil)
- Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan, Argentina)
- Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, France)
- Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina)
- João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
- Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, France)
- Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain, Ecuador)
- Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah, Mexico)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal, England)
- Rodri (Manchester City, Spain)
- Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain, Spain)
- William Saliba (Arsenal, France)
- Ferran Torres (Barcelona, Spain)
- Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich, France)
- Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid, Brazil)
- Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal)
London will stage the ceremony. The names are on the table. Now the question hangs over the season: whose year is this really going to be?
