Ballon d'Or 2026 Nominees: Full List of Players, Coaches and Clubs

The nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or awards are being revealed throughout the day, with some of the first award shortlists now announced.

The Ballon d’Or awards feature 12 different categories across men’s and women’s football.

The two Club of the Year lists were among the first to arrive, followed by the Men's Coach of the Year nominees. The main Ballon d'Or shortlists will come later, along with the striker, goalkeeper and young talent awards.

Arsenal have already featured twice through the nominations.

Mikel Arteta's side are among the five nominees for Men's Club of the Year after winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final, while the manager himself has also been shortlisted alongside four other coaches for Men’s Coach of the Year.

Paris Saint-Germain are also represented in the same categories after retaining the Champions League against Arsenal, with Luis Enrique again up for the coaching award.

Barcelona are not on the men's club shortlist, although their women's side are among the contenders for Women's Club of the Year after a four-trophy season which included the Champions League and Liga F.

Arsenal won the women's award in 2025, but will not retain it after missing this year's five-club shortlist. Barcelona are looking to win the award for a third time after previous successes in 2023 and 2024.

PSG are the defending winners of Club of the Year, while Arsenal's nomination follows the end of their 22-year wait for a Premier League title and journey to the Champions League final where they fell short to PSG

Flamengo are recognised after winning the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian championship, while Bayern collected a domestic treble with the Bundesliga, German Cup and German Super Cup. Bodø/Glimt complete the shortlist after another notable season domestically and in Europe.

Arteta's first Premier League title has put him in contention alongside Luis Enrique, who is last year’s winner. Aston Villa's Unai Emery, Munich’s Vincent Kompany and Spain manager Luis de la Fuente also make the five-man list.

Giráldez, Jeglertz and Romeu have all recognised after major trophy-winning seasons at club level, while Nielsen led Japan to Women’s Asian Cup success. Sadiku’s nomination follows her work across Celtic and BK Häcken through last season

Hampton is back on the shortlist after retaining the WSL Golden Glove with Chelsea, while Yamashita helped Manchester City win the WSL and FA Cup double. Lorena was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year after a record-breaking season with Kansas City Current, with Berger and Coll also recognised after strong campaigns for Gotham FC and Barcelona respectively.

Raya recieves recognition after winning a third successive Premier League Golden Glove with 19 clean sheets, while Safonov helped PSG retain the Champions League and was decisive in their Intercontinental Cup shootout win.

Joan García kept 21 clean sheets during a domestic treble-winning first season at Barcelona, with Bounou also impressing for Morocco at the World Cup. 

Whilst Unai Simón, who kept David Raya out of Spain's starting role at the World Cup, has also been nominated after making history with the longest unbeaten run without conceding a goal ever recorded at a FIFA World Cup. 

Courtois, Martínez, Mendy, Kobel, and Vozinha complete a strong 10-man shortlist

Buurman was named the WSL Rising Star after breaking into Chelsea’s side during the season, while López remained an important part of Barcelona’s Liga F and Champions League-winning team.

Schröder finished as the Women’s Europa Cup top scorer after firing Häcken to the trophy, whilst Serrajordi established herself in Barcelona’s first team. Yohannes who rounds off the shortlist was named the Champions League Revelation of the Season following OL Lyonnes’ run to the final

Yamal, who won last year, is again among the leading names after helping Barcelona win La Liga and Spain lift the World Cup, while Cubarsí was named the tournament’s best young player.

Diomandé enjoyed a breakout season with RB Leipzig, which earned him a move to Real Madrid this summer, whilst Karl became a regular for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, as Bouaddi continued his rise at Lille before earning a major summer move to Manchester City.

Two time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas is among the headline contenders after captaining Barcelona to a quadruple last season, whilst becoming Barcelona's joint second top scorer of all-time across the club's men's and women's teams. Shaw could also be in in the conversation following a prolific campaign for Manchester City. Barcelona are heavily represented across the shortlist, with Pajor, Pina, Coll, Guijarro and Graham Hansen joining Putellas, while Miedema, Greenwood, Casparij and Hasegawa are among Shaw’s City teammates to receive nominations.

Following his nomination for Men's Young Talent of the Year, Yamal finds himself in the Ballon d'Or nominations after another outstanding season for Barcelona and helping Spain win the World Cup. He finds himself alongside Spain teammates Ferran Torres, Unai Simon, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella and former Ballon d'Or winner Rodri. With Mbappé, Dembélé and Haaland are also among the biggest names on the shortlist.

Arsenal have three representatives in Gabriel, Rice and Saliba after winning the Premier League, with Messi also returning to the 30-man list.

The 2026 awards focus on performances from August 3, 2025, through to July 19, 2026. Taking in both club seasons as well as international performances across the summer’s World Cup. When it comes to the main Ballon d'Or prizes for men and women, voters are asked to look first at individual displays and decisive moments. Team success and trophies come next, and voters also consider class and fair play.

A panel of journalists from around the world decides who wins the Ballon d'Or. One voter represents each of the top 100 countries in the men's FIFA rankings, and one represents each of the top 50 in the women's list. Each journalist picks their top 10 from a 30-player shortlist. First place gets 15 points, with the scale dropping down to a single point for 10th.

That process is slightly different for the other awards. Coaches are judged on results, the quality of football their teams play, leadership and tactical work. For the club prizes, voters look at trophies won, standout victories and teams that went beyond what was expected.

Goalkeepers are measured using the same main criteria as the Ballon d'Or: individual impact, team success and fair play. Whilst the Young Talent awards are decided by panels made up mostly of former Ballon d'Or winners and top former women's nominees.