Lionel Messi and World Cup winner Lamine Yamal on 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or nominee list

By CNN Newsource

Published September 8, 2026 12:14 PM

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — It’s that time of year again when the soccer world turns its attention to the Ballon d’Or awards — accolades given to the man and woman deemed to be the best player in the world.

The nominees for both categories were released on Tuesday, starting what will be an Oscar-worthy campaign ahead of the awards ceremony in London on October 26.

Given the top 30 men’s and women’s players were listed, there is little space for controversy at this point.

On the men’s side, England striker Harry Kane, French attacker Kylian Mbappé and Spanish youngster Lamine Yamal are the three leading contenders.

Kane scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich last season, although failed to win the Champions League or World Cup — two trophies which often determine where this award goes.

The same is true of the ever-impressive Mbappé, but the Real Madrid superstar has arguably the most talent of anyone on the list.

Then, of course, there’s Yamal – a 19-year-old phenom who has won almost everything you can in the sport as a teenager. He helped Spain win the World Cup this summer, although he wasn’t at his electric best.

Eight-time winner of this award Lionel Messi has also been included in the longlist, mainly due to his brilliant performances in the World Cup. He is very unlikely to win, though.

Full list of the 30 men’s nominees

Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid and England
Pau Cubarsí, Barcelona and Spain
Marc Cucurella, Chelsea/Real Madrid and Spain
Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain and France
Luis Díaz, Bayern Munich and Colombia
Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United and Portugal
Gabriel Magalhães, Arsenal and Brazil
Erling Haaland, Manchester City and Norway
Achraf Hakimi, Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco
Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paris Saint-Germain and Georgia
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain
Sadio Mané, Al-Nassr and Senegal
Marquinhos, Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil
Lautaro Martínez, Inter Milan and Argentina
Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid and France
Nuno Mendes, Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami and Argentina
João Neves, Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal
Michael Olise, Bayern Munich and France
Willian Pacho, Paris Saint-Germain and Ecuador
Julián Quiñones, Al-Qadsiah and Mexico
Declan Rice, Arsenal and England
Rodri, Manchester City/Barcelona and Spain
Fabián Ruiz, Paris Saint-Germain and Spain
William Saliba, Arsenal and France
Ferran Torres, Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain and Spain
Dayot Upamecano, Bayern Munich and France
Vinícius Jr., Real Madrid and Brazil
Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal

Ballon d’Or Feminin

For the women, it’s a little clearer. Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas is surely the standout after her string of performances for the Catalan club, helping it win the quadruple last season before her move to the London City Lionesses this summer.

Her teammate Ewa Pajor is another contender to consider, one of eight players from Barcelona to be nominated.

Three-time defending winner Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona missed a large part of the season with a broken leg suffered in late November 2025, so missed out on the list this year.

Full list of the 30 women’s nominees

Selma Bacha, OL Lyonnes and France
Barbra Banda, Orlando Pride and Zambia
Klara Bühl, Bayern Munich and Germany
Esmee Brugts, Barcelona and Netherlands
Mariona Caldentey, Arsenal and Spain
Scarlett Camberos, Club América and Mexico
Kerstin Casparij, Manchester City and Netherlands
Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current and Malawi
Cata Coll, Barcelona and Spain
Melchie Dumornay, OL Lyonnes and Haiti
Caroline Graham Hansen, Barcelona and Norway
Alex Greenwood, Manchester City and England
Patri Guijarro, Barcelona and Spain
Pernille Harder, Bayern Munich and Denmark
Yui Hasegawa, Manchester City and Japan
Rose Lavelle, Gotham FC and USA
Mapi León, Barcelona/London City Lionesses and Spain
Lorena, Kansas City Current and Brazil
Melvine Malard, Manchester United/Chelsea and France
Manaka Matsukubo, North Carolina Courage/Chelsea and Japan
Vivianne Miedema, Manchester City and Netherlands
Ewa Pajor, Barcelona and Poland
Claudia Pina, Barcelona and Spain
Alexia Putellas, Barcelona/London City Lionesses and Spain
Wendie Renard, OL Lyonnes and France
Alessia Russo, Arsenal and England
Khadija Shaw, Manchester City and Jamaica
Momoko Tanikawa, Bayern Munich and Japan
Caroline Weir, Real Madrid/OL Lyonnes and Scotland
Tessa Wullaert, Inter Milan/Como and Belgium

Who votes?

A team of world-leading soccer journalists votes on who they think is the best player in the world.

The award is often controversial given the subjective nature of the process, and yet has felt increasingly important to players in recent years.

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