The nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or have been revealed, with Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and reigning winner Ousmane Dembele among the leading contenders for football's most prestigious individual award.
The 30-player shortlist has a strong Paris Saint-Germain presence, with the French champions contributing 10 nominees. Real Madrid have four players on the list, while Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also represented by multiple players.
Kane enters the race after an outstanding season in which he scored 73 goals for club and country. Mbappe remains one of the leading contenders following another prolific campaign, while Yamal has continued to cement his status as one of the sport's biggest emerging stars.
Dembele will look to defend the Ballon d'Or he won in 2025, but faces competition from several of his PSG teammates, including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Lionel Messi has also made the shortlist after his performances for Argentina at the World Cup. However, Cristiano Ronaldo has once again been left out, meaning the Portuguese superstar remains absent from the Ballon d'Or nominees.
PSG's dominance stands out on this year's list, with Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Willian Pacho among the club's nominees.
MEN'S BALLON D'OR NOMINEES
Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid
Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona
Marc Cucurella, Chelsea/Real Madrid
Ousmane Dembele, Paris Saint-Germain
Luis Diaz, Bayern Munich
Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United
Gabriel, Arsenal
Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Achraf Hakimi, Paris Saint-Germain
Harry Kane, Bayern Munich
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paris Saint-Germain
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
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
Joao Neves, Paris Saint-Germain
Michael Olise, Bayern Munich
Willian Pacho, Paris Saint-Germain
Julian Quinones, Al Qadsiah
Declan Rice, Arsenal
Rodri, Manchester City/Barcelona
Fabian Ruiz, Paris Saint-Germain
William Saliba, Arsenal
Ferran Torres, Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain
Dayot Upamecano, Bayern Munich
Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid
Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain
YAMAL CHASES KOPA HISTORY
Yamal has another chance to make history after being nominated for the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the best Under-21 player in world football.
The Barcelona youngster has claimed the award in each of the previous two editions and could become the first player to win it three times if he retains the trophy in 2026.
Pau Cubarsi and Warren Zaire-Emery are among the other prominent names on a shortlist featuring some of Europe's brightest young talents.
2026 KOPA TROPHY NOMINEES
Kerim Alajbegovic, RB Salzburg/Juventus
Ayyoub Bouaddi, Lille/Manchester City
Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona
Yan Diomande, RB Leipzig/Real Madrid
Lennart Karl, Bayern Munich
Eli Junior Kroupi, Bournemouth
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
Johan Manzambi, Aston Villa
Ibrahim Maza, Bayer Leverkusen
Warren Zaire-Emery, Paris Saint-Germain
THE YASHIN TROPHY
The Yashin Trophy will also have a new winner in 2026 after reigning champion Gianluigi Donnarumma failed to earn a nomination.
Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois, Barcelona's Joan Garcia and Arsenal's David Raya are among the leading contenders. Emiliano Martinez and Unai Simon are also included in the 10-player shortlist.
2026 YASHIN TROPHY NOMINEES
Yassine Bounou, Al Hilal
Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid
Gregor Kobel, Borussia Dortmund
Joan Garcia, Barcelona
Edouard Mendy, Al Ahli
Emiliano Martinez, Aston Villa/Chelsea
David Raya, Arsenal
Vozinha, Chaves/Colo-Colo
Unai Simon, Athletic Club
Matvey Safonov, Paris Saint-Germain
2026 WOMEN'S YASHIN TROPHY NOMINEES
Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC
Cata Coll, Barcelona
Lorena, Kansas City Current
Hannah Hampton, Chelsea
Ayaka Yamashita, Manchester City
COACH OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
The Johan Cruyff Trophy shortlist features five prominent names from club and international football, representing the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Spain's national team.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany and Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique are among the nominees. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery and Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente complete the list.
2026 MEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal
Luis de la Fuente, Spain national team
Unai Emery, Aston Villa
Vincent Kompany, Bayern Munich
Luis Enrique, Paris Saint-Germain
CEREMONY HEADS TO LONDON
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will bring a historic change of venue.
For the first time since 2019, the awards will not be held at Paris' Theatre du Chatelet. Instead, the ceremony will take place in London, with the choice of city serving as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, the first-ever Ballon d'Or winner in 1956.
The winners will be announced on October 26 at the London Palladium Theatre, marking the first time the prestigious ceremony has been staged in the English capital.
With the men's award wide open, Yamal chasing a third consecutive Kopa Trophy and a new Yashin Trophy winner guaranteed, the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is set to feature several major storylines.
