The 30-player shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has been announced, with Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Sadio Mane among the leading names in contention for football’s most prestigious individual award.
The ceremony will take place in London on Monday, 26 October 2026. It will be the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or, with the event moving from Paris to the English capital as a tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews.
Matthews, the former England international, won the inaugural Ballon d’Or in 1956.
Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, Mbappe of Real Madrid and Barcelona forward Yamal are among the players regarded as the leading contenders. Paris Saint-Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele are also considered potential winners.
Dembele claimed the award last year, and supporters will now wait to discover who will become the latest player to join the distinguished list of Ballon d’Or winners.
The shortlist also includes several players who have previously been nominated but have never won the trophy. Those names include Mane, Achraf Hakimi, Vinicius Junior, Bellingham and Declan Rice.
The full list of nominees is:
- Jude Bellingham - Pau Cubarsi - Marc Cucurella - Ousmane Dembele - Luis Diaz - Bruno Fernandes - Erling Haaland - Gabriel Magalhaes - Harry Kane - Achraf Hakimi - Lamine Yamal - Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Marquinhos - Sadio Mane - Lautaro Martinez - Kylian Mbappe - Nuno Mendes - Lionel Messi - Michael Olise - Joao Neves - Willian Pacho - Julian Quinones - Declan Rice - Rodri - William Saliba - Dayot Upamecano - Fabian Ruiz - Vinicius Junior - Vitinha - Ferran Torres
The presence of Lionel Messi means the list includes one of the most decorated players in the history of the award, while Rodri, the previous winner before Dembele, is also among the 30 nominees.
Other high-profile candidates include Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
The shortlist also features players from across Europe’s leading clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain defenders Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho, Arsenal’s William Saliba and Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano.
Barcelona are represented by Yamal and Cubarsi, while Real Madrid’s nominees include Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. The final decision will determine who receives the 2026 award at the London ceremony.