Ballon d’Or 2026 nominees: Messi makes cut, check full shortlist for all awards

Twenty years after his first Ballon d’Or nomination, Lionel Messi has made the cut for the 2026 edition as France Football unveiled the shortlist on Tuesday.

The shortlist was expectedly dominated by the best performers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as well as the Paris Saint-Germain side that lifted a second successive Champions League title earlier this year. Messi, who had a record-breaking World Cup run leading Argentina to a runners-up finish behind Spain, was among three men named in the shortlist despite featuring in club football outside Europe. Al-Nassr’s Sadio Mané and Al-Qadsiah’s Julian Quinones join Messi in this club.

ALSO READ | Meet the “New Messi,” and six other teenagers built to replace football’s greats

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France superstar Kylian Mbappe, England and Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane and Spain’s World Cup-winning teenage sensation Lamine Yamal are among the front-runners for the award this year. Ousmane Dembele, who won the Ballon d’Or last year is also among the favourites after leading PSG to another CL title win.

Men’s Ballon d’Or 2026 Nominees

Jude Bellingham (England/Real Madrid)
Pau Cubarsi (Spain/Barcelona)
Marc Cucurella (Spain/Real Madrid)
Ousmane Dembélé (France/PSG)
Luis Diaz (Colombia/Bayern Munich)
Bruno Fernandes (Portugal/Manchester United)
Erling Haaland (Norway/Manchester City)
Gabriel Magalhães (Brazil/Arsenal)
Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/PSG)
Lamine Yamal (Spain/Barcelona)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia/PSG)
Marquinhos (Brazil/PSG)
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Al Nassr)
Lautaro Martínez (Argentina/Inter Milan)
Kylian Mbappe (France/Real Madrid)
Lionel Messi (Argentina/Inter Miami)
Michael Olise (France/Bayern Munich)
João Neves (Portugal/PSG)
Willian Pacho (Ecuador/PSG)
Julian Quiñones (Mexico/AlQadsiah)
Declan Rice (England/Arsenal)
Rodri (Spain/Barcelona)
Fabian Ruiz (Spain/PSG)
William Saliba (France/Arsenal)
Dayot Upamecano (France/Bayern Munich)
Vitinha (Portugal/PSG)
Ferran Torres (Spain/PSG)
Vinicius Jr. (Brazil/Real Madrid)
Nuno Mendes (Portugal/PSG)

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 – PSG

Women’s Ballon d’Or 2026 Nominees

Selma Bacha — OL Lyonnes
Barbra Banda — Orlando Pride
Klara Bühl — Bayern Munich
Esmee Brugts — Barcelona
Mariona Caldentey — Arsenal
Scarlett Camberos — Club América
Kerstin Casparij — Manchester City
Temwa Chawinga — Kansas City Current
Cata Coll — Barcelona
Melchie Dumornay — OL Lyonnes
Caroline Graham Hansen — Barcelona
Alex Greenwood — Manchester City
Patri Guijarro — Barcelona
Pernille Harder — Bayern Munich
Yui Hasegawa — Manchester City
Rose Lavelle — Gotham FC
Mapi León — London City Lionesses
Lorena — Kansas City Current
Melvine Malard — Chelsea
Manaka Matsukubo — Chelsea
Vivianne Miedema — Manchester City
Ewa Pajor — Barcelona
Claudia Pina — Barcelona
Alexia Putellas — London City Lionesses
Wendie Renard — OL Lyonnes
Alessia Russo — Arsenal
Khadija Shaw — Manchester City
Momoko Tanikawa — Bayern Munich
Caroline Weir — OL Lyonnes
Tessa Wullaert — Como

Women’s Coach of the Year Nominees

Jonatan Giráldez — OL Lyonnes
Andrée Jeglertz — Manchester City
Nils Nielsen — Japan
Pere Romeu — Barcelona
Elena Sadiku — BK Häcken

Men’s Kopa Trophy Nominees (Best young player)

Kerim Alajbegović (RB Salzburg/Juventus)
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille/Manchester City)
Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig/Real Madrid)
Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich)
Éli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa)
Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen)
Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)

Women’s Kopa Trophy Nominees (Best young player)

Veerle Buurman (Chelsea)
Vicky López (Barcelona)
Felicia Schröder (BK Häcken/Real Madrid)
Clara Serrajordi (Barcelona)
Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)

Men’s goalkeeper of the year (Yashin Trophy) nominees

Yassine Bounou — Al Hilal
Joan García — Barcelona
Gregor Kobel — Borussia Dortmund
Emiliano Martínez — Chelsea
Edouard Mendy — Al Ahli
David Raya — Arsenal
Unai Simón — Athletic Bilbao
Vozinha — Colo Colo
Matvey Safonov — PSG
Thibaut Courtois — Real Madrid

Women’s goalkeeper of the year nominees

Hannah Hampton — Chelsea
Lorena — Kansas City Current
Ayaka Yamashita — Manchester City
Cata Coll — Barcelona
Ann-Katrin Berger — Gotham FC

2026 Men’s Team of the Year Nominees

Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Bodø/Glimt
Flamengo
PSG

2026 Women’s Team of the Year Nominees

FC Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Club América
Manchester City
Olympique Lyonnais