Golden Ball nominees announced

The 30 nominees for the main individual award in world football, the Ballon d'Or, for 2026 have been revealed. The names of the contenders were announced at the corresponding ceremony by the prize's founder, France Football magazine.

Ballon d'Or 2026 nominees:

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Luis Díaz (Bayern), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Harry Kane (Bayern), Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG), Marquinhos (PSG), Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), Lautaro Martínez (Inter), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Michael Olise (Bayern), João Neves (PSG), Willian Pacho (PSG), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Rodri (Barcelona), Fabián Ruiz (PSG), Ferran Torres (PSG), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), Vitinha (PSG).

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for Monday, October 26. The event will take place in London. The ceremony will be a milestone, the 70th in history.

As a reminder, the winner will be determined by a vote of 100 journalists from countries representing FIFA's top 100 rankings.

The current holder of the award is Paris Saint-Germain and France national team forward Ousmane Dembélé.