The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is set to take place on 26th October, but first we will learn the 30-man shortlist of nominees.
Ousmane Dembele became the sixth Frenchman to win the Ballon d'Or when clinching the honour in 2025 after a remarkable 2024/25 campaign with Paris Saint-Germain, where he spearheaded the French giants to UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France glory.
This year will mark the 70th edition of the prestigious individual award, with Blackpool's Sir Stanley Matthews the first player to take home the prize in 1956.
The 30-man shortlist of candidates for the 2026 edition has been decided by a panel of international journalists, which are selected by France Football.
We bring you the list of nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or award.
2026 Ballon d'Or nominees
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
- Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid)
- Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
- Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich)
- Gabriel (Arsenal)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
- Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Sadio Mane (Al Nassr)
- Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
- Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
- Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
- Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
- Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain)
- William Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Julian Quinones (Al Qadsiah)
- Rodri (Barcelona)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal)
- William Saliba (Arsenal)
- Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
- Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
- Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Ferran Torres (Paris Saint-Germain)
