2026 Ballon d'Or Nominees: PSG Leads with Nine Players on the Shortlist

PSG Dominates 2026 Ballon d'Or Nominations

Paris Saint-Germain, fresh off winning back-to-back European titles, has a strong presence in the 2026 Ballon d'Or nominations. Nine players from their successful 2025-26 campaign made the 30-man shortlist announced by France Football on September 8.

Ousmane Dembele, last year's men's winner, is nominated again but a new champion seems likely. His PSG teammates, including forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, are among those expected to challenge for the award. Ferran Torres, who scored the decisive goal for Spain in the World Cup final and then transferred from Barcelona to PSG, earned his first nomination this year.

Spain leads the national teams with six nominees, featuring 2024 winner Rodri, who moved from Manchester City to Barcelona, and Lamine Yamal, the previous season's runner-up. Lionel Messi also appears on the list following a strong World Cup performance, though Spain's final defeat may have ended his quest for a ninth trophy.

Men's Ballon d'Or Nominees

• Jude Bellingham: Real Madrid / England (4 nominations)
• Pau Cubarsi: Barcelona / Spain (1)
• Marc Cucurella: Chelsea/Real Madrid / Spain (1)
• Ousmane Dembele: Paris Saint-Germain / France (2)
• Luis Diaz: Bayern Munich / Colombia (2)
• Bruno Fernandes: Manchester United / Portugal (2)
• Erling Haaland: Manchester City / Norway (6)
• Gabriel: Arsenal / Brazil (1)
• Harry Kane: Bayern Munich / England (8)
• Achraf Hakimi: Paris Saint-Germain / Morocco (2)
• Lamine Yamal: Barcelona / Spain (3)
• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia: Paris Saint-Germain / Georgia (3)
• Marquinhos: Paris Saint-Germain / Brazil (2)
• Sadio Mane: Al Nassr / Senegal (5)
• Lisandro Martinez: Inter Milan / Argentina (5)
• Kylian Mbappe: Real Madrid / France (9)
• Nuno Mendes: Paris Saint-Germain / Portugal (2)
• Lionel Messi: Inter Miami / Argentina (17)
• Michael Olise: Bayern Munich / France (2)
• Joao Neves: Paris Saint-Germain / Portugal (2)
• William Pacho: Paris Saint-Germain / Ecuador (1)
• Julian Quinones: Al-Qadsiah / Mexico (1)
• Declan Rice: Arsenal / England (3)
• Rodri: Man City/Barcelona / Spain (3)
• Fabian Ruiz: Paris Saint-Germain / Spain (2)
• Ferran Torres: Barcelona/PSG / Spain (1)
• William Saliba: Arsenal / France (2)
• Dayot Upamecano: Bayern Munich / France (1)
• Vinicius Junior: Real Madrid / Brazil (5)
• Vitinha: Paris Saint-Germain / Portugal (3)

Women's Ballon d'Or Nominees

• Selma Bacha: OL Lyonnes / France (2)
• Barbra Banda: Orlando Pride / Zambia (3)
• Klara Buhl: Bayern Munich / Germany (2)
• Esmee Brugts: Barcelona / Netherlands (1)
• Mariona Caldentey: Arsenal / Spain (3)
• Scarlett Camberos: Club America / Mexico (1)
• Kerstin Casparij: Manchester City / Netherlands (1)
• Temwa Chawinga: Kansas City Current / Malawi (2)
• Cata Coll: Barcelona / Spain (1)
• Melchie Dumornay: OL Lyonnes / Haiti (2)
• Caroline Graham Hansen: Barcelona / Norway (3)
• Alex Greenwood: Manchester City / England (1)
• Patri Guijarro: Barcelona / Spain (4)
• Pernille Harder: Bayern Munich / Denmark (5)
• Yui Hasegawa: Manchester City / Japan (3)
• Rose Lavelle: Gotham City / USWNT (2)
• Mapi Leon: Barcelona/London City Lionesses / Spain (2)
• Lorena: Kansas City Current / Brazil (1)
• Melvine Malard: Manchester United/Chelsea / France (1)
• Manaka Matsukubo: North Carolina Courage/Chelsea / Japan (1)
• Ewa Pajor: Barcelona / Poland (4)
• Vivianne Miedema: Manchester City / Netherlands (4)
• Claudia Pina: Barcelona / Spain (2)
• Alexia Putellas: Barcelona/London City Lionesses (5)
• Alessia Russo: Arsenal / England (2)
• Momoko Tanikawa: Bayern Munich / Japan (1)
• Wendie Renard: OL Lyonnes / France (6)
• Khadija Shaw: Manchester City / Jamaica (3)
• Caroline Weir: Real Madrid/OL Lyonnes / Scotland (2)
• Tessa Wullaert: Inter Milan/Como / Belgium (1)

Men's Young Talent of the Year Nominees

• Kerim Alajbegovic (Salzburg/Juventus / Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille/Manchester City / Morocco)
• Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona / Spain)
• Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig/Real Madrid / Ivory Coast)
• Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich / Germany)
• Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
• Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
• Johan Manzambi (Freiburg/Aston Villa / Switzerland)
• Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen / Algeria)
• Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain / France)

Women's Young Talent of the Year Nominees

• Veerle Buurman (Chelsea / Netherlands)
• Vicky Lopez (Barcelona Femeni / Spain)
• Felicia Schroder (BK Hacken/Real Madrid / Sweden)
• Clara Serrajordi (Barcelona Femeni / Spain)
• Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes / USWNT)

Women's Coach of the Year Nominees

• Jonatan Giraldez (OL Lyonnes)
• Andree Jeglertz (Manchester City)
• Nils Nielsen (Japan; left role April 2026)
• Pere Romeu (Barcelona Femeni)
• Elena Sadiku (Celtic/BK Hacken)

Men's Coach of the Year Nominees

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

Women's Goalkeeper of the Year Nominees

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

Men's Goalkeeper of the Year Nominees

• Yassine Bonou (Al Hilal / Morocco)
• Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid / Belgium)
• Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund / Switzerland)
• Joan Garcia (Barcelona / Spain)
• Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli / Senegal)
• Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa/Chelsea / Senegal)
• David Raya (Arsenal / Spain)
• Vozinha (Colo Colo / Cape Verde)
• Unai Simon (Athletic Club / Spain)
• Matvey Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain / Russia)

Women's Club of the Year Nominees

• Barcelona Femeni
• Bayern Munich
• Club America Femenil
• Manchester City
• OL Lyonnes

Men's Club of the Year Nominees

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

2026 Ballon d'Or Ceremony Details

The awards will be presented on Monday, October 26. Unlike previous years held in Paris, this 70th edition will take place in London, England, to honor Sir Stanley Matthews, the first-ever recipient of the trophy seven decades ago.

How the Winner is Chosen

A panel of international journalists selected by France Football creates the 30 finalists for the men's Ballon d'Or and the Yashin Trophy shortlist for the best goalkeeper. Since 2022, voting involves media representatives from the top 100 FIFA-ranked men's nations and the top 50 women's nations, who rank their choices from the finalists. Points are awarded based on rankings, and the player with the highest total wins.

The criteria focus strictly on individual performance during the previous season, team achievements, and sportsmanship. The award no longer considers overall career accomplishments, a change made after concerns that long-term reputation influenced past results.