France Football announced the 30 man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or on Tuesday, September 8. Harry Kane leads the field, Paris Saint-Germain has ten nominees, and Cristiano Ronaldo is not on the list. Every name across every award is below.
| Player | Club | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | Forward |
| Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | Forward |
| Kylian Mbappe | Real Madrid | Forward |
| Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | Midfielder |
| Pau Cubarsi | Barcelona | Defender |
| Marc Cucurella | Real Madrid | Defender |
| Ousmane Dembele | PSG | Forward |
| Luis Diaz | Bayern Munich | Forward |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | Midfielder |
| Gabriel | Arsenal | Defender |
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City | Forward |
| Achraf Hakimi | PSG | Defender |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | PSG | Forward |
| Sadio Mane | Al Nassr | Forward |
| Marquinhos | PSG | Defender |
| Lautaro Martinez | Inter | Forward |
| Nuno Mendes | PSG | Defender |
| Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | Forward |
| Joao Neves | PSG | Midfielder |
| Michael Olise | Bayern Munich | Forward |
| William Pacho | PSG | Defender |
| Julian Quinones | Al Qadsia | Forward |
| Declan Rice | Arsenal | Midfielder |
| Rodri | Barcelona | Midfielder |
| Fabian Ruiz | PSG | Midfielder |
| William Saliba | Arsenal | Defender |
| Ferran Torres | PSG | Forward |
| Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich | Defender |
| Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid | Forward |
| Vitinha | PSG | Midfielder |
What Stands Out
PSG has ten of the 30. Dembele, Hakimi, Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Pacho, Ferran Torres, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha. That is a third of the shortlist from one club, and it reflects a season in which the holders’ squad depth was the story as much as any individual.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not nominated despite winning the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr. Sadio Mane made it from the same club. Ronaldo still appears in some betting markets, but he cannot win an award he is not shortlisted for.
England has three: Kane, Bellingham and Rice. Kane is the bookmakers’ favorite and would be the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
Spain’s World Cup winners are well represented. Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Rodri, Marc Cucurella, Fabian Ruiz and Ferran Torres all make the list after Spain lifted the trophy this summer. Luis de la Fuente is nominated for coach of the year.
Women’s Ballon d’Or Nominees
Selma Bacha, Barbra Banda, Esmee Brugts, Klara Buhl, Mariona Caldentey, Scarlett Camberos, Kerstin Casparij, Temwa Chawinga, Cata Coll, Melchie Dumornay, Caroline Graham Hansen, Alex Greenwood, Patri Guijarro, Pernille Harder, Yui Hasegawa, Rose Lavelle, Lorena Leite, Mapi Leon, Melvine Malard, Manaka Matsukubo, Vivianne Miedema, Ewa Pajor, Claudia Pina, Alexia Putellas, Wendie Renard, Alessia Russo, Khadija Shaw, Momoko Tanikawa, Caroline Weir, Tessa Wullaert.
Barcelona has the largest group with eight, and the NWSL is represented by Banda, Chawinga, Lavelle and Leite.
Kopa Trophy: Best Young Player
Men: Kerim Alajbegovic, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pau Cubarsi, Yan Diomande, Lennart Karl, Eli Junior Kroupi, Johan Manzambi, Ibrahim Maza, Lamine Yamal, Warren Zaire-Emery. Yamal, a two time winner, is also on the main shortlist.
Women: Veerle Buurman, Vicky Lopez, Felicia Schroder, Clara Serrajordi, Lily Yohannes.
Yashin Trophy: Best Goalkeeper
Men: Yassine Bounou, Thibaut Courtois, Joan Garcia, Gregor Kobel, Emiliano Martinez, Edouard Mendy, David Raya, Matvey Safonov, Unai Simon, Vozinha.
Women: Ann-Katrin Berger, Cata Coll, Hannah Hampton, Lorena, Ayaka Yamashita.
Coach of the Year
Men: Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Unai Emery (Aston Villa), Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich), Luis Enrique (PSG).
Women: Jonatan Giraldez (Lyon), Andree Jeglertz (Manchester City), Nils Nielsen (Japan), Pere Romeu (Barcelona), Elena Sadiku (Celtic and BK Hacken).
How the Winner Is Chosen
One journalist from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings ranks ten players from the shortlist. First place is worth 15 points, then 12, 10, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. Ties are broken by the number of first place votes. The women’s award uses the same system with journalists from the top 50 nations.
Related
Ballon d’Or odds · When is the Ballon d’Or ceremony · Every Ballon d’Or winner since 1956 · Champions League odds
The Bottom Line
Thirty men, thirty women, and a shortlist dominated by PSG’s depth and Spain’s World Cup winners. Kane is the favorite, Ronaldo is absent, and the winner is announced in London on October 26.