Ballon d’Or 2026 Nominees: Full List and Ceremony Time
The 2026 Ballon d’Or will be presented tonight, Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium Theatre, with 30 men’s nominees in contention. According to UEFA, the ceremony starts at 20:00 GMT, which is 9pm in Nigeria, and is being staged in London for the first time.
Ceremony details
UEFA says the event marks the award’s 70th anniversary, and that London was chosen to honour its first winner, England’s Stanley Matthews. Thierry Henry and Kate Scott host.
UEFA lists awards for the best men’s and women’s players, along with Young Talent, Goalkeeper, Coach, Club and Striker of the Year awards, and the Sócrates Award for solidarity work. France Football unveiled the nominees on September 8, according to GiveMeSport.
The 30 men’s nominees
UEFA names the following players. Paris Saint-Germain: Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Willian Pacho, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha and Ferran Torres, who is listed with Barcelona.
Barcelona: Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Rodri and Torres. Bayern Munich: Luis Díaz, Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano. Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior. Arsenal: Gabriel, Declan Rice and William Saliba.
The rest are Marc Cucurella of Chelsea/Real Madrid, Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, Erling Haaland of Manchester City, Sadio Mané of Al-Nassr, Lautaro Martínez of Inter, Lionel Messi of Inter Miami and Julián Quiñones of Al-Qadsiah.
Who stands out
UEFA notes three former winners are on the men’s shortlist: record eight-time winner Messi, holder Dembélé and 2024 winner Rodri. SI reports that reigning European champions PSG have 10 of the 30 nominees.
Sky Sports reported at the time of the announcement that Kane was the bookmakers’ favourite, and that Cristiano Ronaldo was not among the nominees. Odds can change, and the winner has not been announced.
Women’s and other categories
UEFA also lists 30 women’s nominees, including Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas, the only former winner on that list. The women’s list also includes Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo and Khadija Shaw. Last year, Dembélé won the men’s award and Aitana Bonmatí the women’s, according to UEFA.
Men’s Young Talent nominees include Yamal, Cubarsí, Lennart Karl, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Ibrahim Maza, according to UEFA. The men’s Club of the Year nominees are Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodø/Glimt, Flamengo and PSG. The men’s Goalkeeper of the Year nominees include Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martínez and David Raya, while the Coach of the Year shortlist includes Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery, Vincent Kompany and Luis Enrique. The women’s Goalkeeper of the Year nominees are Ann-Katrin Berger, Cata Coll, Hannah Hampton, Lorena and Ayaka Yamashita. The women’s Coach of the Year nominees are Jonatan Giráldez, Andrée Jeglertz, Nils Nielsen, Pere Romeu and Elena Sadiku.
Quick timeline:
- September 8, 2026: Nominees are unveiled, per GiveMeSport.
- October 26, 2026: Ceremony takes place at the London Palladium.
What happens next
UEFA and Groupe Amaury, owner of France Football, co-organise the awards. The winners will be revealed at the ceremony, and you can check UEFA’s website for local broadcast partners.
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