Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal headline the 30-man Ballon d’Or 2026 shortlist, while Cristiano Ronaldo misses out on the prestigious awardScroll down to read the full story.
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Lionel Messi, Yamal among Ballon d’Or 2026 nominees
The 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees have been revealed, with stars like Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and last year’s winner Ousmane Dembele in the race for the top individual award in football.
The 30-player list includes 10 names from Paris Saint-GermainReal Madrid have four nominees, while Barcelona and Bayern Munich also have multiple players competing for the award.
Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal emerge as top Ballon d’Or contenders
Kane enters the race after a superb season in which he scored 73 goals for club and countryMbappe is also among the top contenders after another strong scoring campaign, while Yamal continues to grow into one of football’s biggest young stars.
Defending champion Dembele will look to win the award again, but he faces strong competition from his PSG teammates, including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Messi returns as Ronaldo misses out, while PSG dominate the shortlist
Lionel Messi has made his way back onto the Ballon d’Or shortlist after his performances for Argentina at the World CupHowever, Cristiano Ronaldo has once again been left out, with the Portugal captain missing from this year’s nominees.
Paris Saint-Germain have a strong presence on the list, with several of their stars receiving nominationsAchraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Willian Pacho are all among the PSG players in contention.
Men’s Ballon d’Or nominees: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea/Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Gabriel (Arsenal), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Sadio Mane (Al Nassr), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain), Julian Quinones (Al Qadsiah), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Rodri (Manchester City/Barcelona), Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), William Saliba (Arsenal), Ferran Torres (Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) and Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain).
