Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and more: Full list of 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees across all major categories

The nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2026 have officially been announced, setting the stage for one of the most unpredictable editions of football’s most prestigious individual awards. The 70th-anniversary ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26, 2026, rather than its traditional Paris setting to honour Sir Stanley Matthews: the inaugural Ballon d’Or winner in 1956.


The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony (the 69th edition), which took place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on September 22, 2025 was won by Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmati. He dominated the voting after driving PSG to a UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 double, recording 35 goals and 16 assists across 53 appearances.

With the assessment period running from August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026- this year’s race carries an unusual twist as the 2026 FIFA World Cup falls directly within the voting period. As a result, performances in football’s biggest international tournament could have a major influence on the final results.

Here’s the full list of all the nominees.

1. Jude Bellingham - Real Madrid - 4th nomination
2. Pau Cubarsi - FC Barcelona
3. Ousmane Dembele - Former Winner and 2nd nomination
4. Marc Cucurella - Chelsea & Real Madrid (current)
5. Luis Diaz - Bayern Munich - 2nd nomination
6. Bruno Fernandes - Manchester United - 2nd nomination
7. Gabriel - Arsenal
8. Erling Haaland - Manchester City - 6th nomination
9. Harry Kane - Bayern Munich - 8th nomination
10. Achraf Hakimi - Paris Saint-Germain - 2nd nomination
11. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Paris Saint-Germain - 3rd nomination
12. Lamine Yamal - FC Barcelona - 3rd nomination
13. Sadio Mane - Al-Nassr - 5th nomination
14. Marquinhos - Paris Saint-Germain - 2nd nomination
15. Lautaro Martinez - Inter Milan - 5th nomination
16. Kylian Mbappe - Real Madrid - 9th nomination
17. Nuno Mendes - Paris Saint-Germain - 2nd nomination
18. Lionel Messi - Inter Miami - 8th time winner and 17th nomination
19. Joao Neves - Paris Saint-Germain - 2nd nomination
20. Michael Olise - Bayern Munich - 2nd nomination
21. Willian Pacho - Paris Saint-Germain
22. Julian Quinones - Al-Qadsiah
23. Declan Rice - Arsenal - 3rd nomination
24. Rodri - Former winner and 3rd nomination
25. Fabian Ruiz - Paris Saint-Germain - 2nd nomination
26. William Saliba - Arsenal - 2nd nomination
27. Ferran Torres - FC Barcelona & PSG (current)
28. Dayot Upamecano - Bayern Munich
29. Vinicius Junior - Real Madrid - 5th nomination
30. Vitinha - Paris Saint-Germain - 3rd nomination

1. Selma Bacha - Ol Lyonnes - 2nd nomination
2. Barbra Banda - Orlando Pride - 3rd nomination
3. Esmee Brugts - FC Barcelona
4. Klara Buhl - Bayern Munich - 2nd nomination
5. Mariona Caldentey - Arsenal - 3rd nomination
6. Temwa Chawinga - Kansas City - 2nd nomination
7. Kerstin Casparij - Manchester City
8. Melchie Dumornay - Ol Lyonnes - 2nd nomination
9. Alex Greenwood - Manchester City
10. Caroline Graham Hansen - FC Barcelona - 3rd nomination
11. Pernille Harder - Bayern Munich - 5th nomination
12. Patri Guijarro - FC Barcelona - 4th nomination
13. Yui Hasegawa - Manchester City - 3rd nomination
14. Rose Lavelle - Gotham FC - 2nd nomination
15. Scarlett Camberos - Club América
16. Lorena - Kansas City
17. Mapi Leon - FC Barcelona & London City (current) - 2nd nomination
18. Cata Coll - FC Barcelona
19. Manaka Matsukubo - North Carolina & Chelsea (current)
20. Ewa Pajor - FC Barcelona - 4th nomination
21. Vivianne Miedema - Manchester City - 4th nomination
22. Melvine Malard - Manchester United & Chelsea (current)
23. Claudia Pina - FC Barcelona - 2nd nomination
24. Alexia Putellas - Former winner and 5th nomination
25. Wendie Renard - Ol Lyonnes - 6th nomination
26. Momoko Tanikawa - Bayern Munich
27. Caroline Weir - Real Madrid & Ol Lyonnes (current) - 2nd nomination
28. Tessa Wullaert - Inter Milan & Como (current)
29. Khadija Shaw - Manchester City - 3rd nomination
30. Alessia Russo - Arsenal - 2nd nomination

1. Ayyoub Bouaddi - Lille & Manchester City (current)
2. Kerim Alajbegovic - RB Salzburg & Juventus (current)
3. Pau Cubarsi - FC Barcelona
4. Yan Diomande - RB Leipzig & Real Madrid (current)
5. Eli Junior Kroupi - Bournemouth
6. Lennart Karl - Bayern Munich
7. Lamine Yamal - FC Barcelona
8. Johan Manzambi - SC Freiburg & Aston Villa (current)
9. Ibrahim Maza - Bayer Leverkusen
10. Warren Zaire-Emery - Paris Saint-Germain

1. Veerle Buurman - Chelsea
2. Vicky Lopez - FC Barcelona
3. Felicia Schroder - BK Hacken & Real Madrid (current)
4. Clara Serrajordi - FC Barcelona
5. Lily Yohannes - Ol Lyonnes

1. Yassine Bounou - Al-Hilal
2. Joan Garcia - FC Barcelona
3. Gregor Kobel - Borussia Dortmund
4. Emiliano Martinez - Aston Villa & Chelsea (current)
5. Edouard Mendy - Al-Ahli
6. David Raya - Arsenal
7. Unai Simon - Athletic Bilbao / Spain
8. Vozinha - GD Chaves Colo-Colo / Cape Verde
9. Matvey Safonov - Paris Saint-Germain
10. Thibaut Courtois - Real Madrid

1. Ann-Katrin Berger - Gotham FC
2. Cata Coll - FC Barcelona
3. Hannah Hampton - Chelsea
4. Lorena - Kansas City
5. Ayaka Yamashita - Manchester City

1. Mikel Arteta - Arsenal - 1st nomination
2. Luis De la Fuente - Spain - 2nd nomination
3. Unai Emery - Aston Villa - 1st nomination
4. Vincent Kompany - Bayern Munich - 1st nomination
5. Luis Enrique - Paris Saint-Germain - 2nd nomination

1. Jonatan Giraldez - Ol Lyonnes - 2nd nomination
2. Andrée Jeglertz - Manchester City - 1st nomination
3. Nils Nielsen - Japan (former) - 1st nomination
4. Pere Romeu - FC Barcelona - 1st nomination
5. Elena Sadiku - Celtic & BK Hacken - 1st nomination

1. Arsenal
2. Bayern Munich
3. FK Bodo/Glimt
4. Flamengo
5. Paris Saint-Germain

1. FC Barcelona
2. Bayern Munich
3. Club América
4. Manchester City
5. Ol Lyonnes

As the Ballon d'Or ceremony approaches, the inclusion of a World Cup campaign within the voting window makes this year's race one of the most volatile and fiercely contested in modern football history.