Ballon d'Or 2026: Mbappé, Messi and Putellas among star-studded nominees

The race for the 2026 Ballon d'Or is officially underway with the nominees for the men's and women's awards announced on Tuesday. The shortlists feature some of the biggest names in world football including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and reigning men's winner Ousmane Dembélé. In the women's category, Alexia Putellas is among the leading names after a strong campaign that also marked the end of her time at Barcelona. Dembélé, who won the men's award last year, has earned another nomination following another standout season with Paris Saint-Germain. Messi and Mbappé have also made the cut after impressive performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The men's shortlist includes 30 players representing several of Europe's biggest clubs. Real Madrid have Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr among the nominees, while Paris Saint-Germain lead the way with a strong representation that includes Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Willian Pacho and Vitinha. Bayern Munich have Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Michael Olise on the list, while Arsenal are represented by Gabriel and Declan Rice. Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal are also among the nominees. Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes, Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martínez and Inter Miami star Messi are other notable names on the shortlist. The nominees also include Rodri, who is now listed as a Barcelona player, along with Ferran Torres, Dayot Upamecano and Julian Quiñones. The Ballon d'Or awards will be presented in London on October 26 with winners to be announced across the various categories. Alongside the men's and women's awards, honours will also be handed out for goalkeepers, young players and coaches. The women's shortlist, meanwhile, includes Putellas, who made a winning start to her time in the English league after leaving Barcelona. Reigning women's winner Aitana Bonmatí will also be looking to retain the award. Ballon d'Or 2026: Men's nominees Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid & England) Pau Cubarsí (FC Barcelona & Spain) Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid & Spain) Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain & France) Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich & Colombia) Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United & Portugal) Gabriel (Arsenal & Brazil) Erling Haaland (Manchester City & Norway) Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain & Morocco) Harry Kane (Bayern Munich & England) Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain & Georgia) Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona & Spain) Sadio Mané (Al Nassr & Senegal) Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain & Brazil) Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan & Argentina) Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid & France) Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal) Lionel Messi (Inter Miami & Argentina) João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal) Michael Olise (Bayern Munich & France) Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain & Ecuador) Julian Quiñones (Al Qadsiah & Mexico) Declan Rice (Arsenal & England) Rodri (FC Barcelona & Spain) Ferran Torres (Paris Saint-Germain & Spain) Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich & France) Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid & Brazil) Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal) Ballon d'Or 2026: Women's nominees Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes & France) Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride & Zambia) Esmee Brugts (FC Barcelona & Netherlands) Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich & Germany) Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal & Spain) Scarlett Camberos (Club América & Mexico) Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City & Netherlands) Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current & Malawi) Cata Coll (Barcelona & Spain) Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes & Haiti) Alex Greenwood (Manchester City & England) Patri Guijarro (FC Barcelona & Spain) Caroline Graham Hansen (FC Barcelona & Norway) Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich & Denmark) Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City & Japan) Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC & USA) Mapi Léon (London City Lionesses & Spain) Lorena (Kansas City Current & Brazil) Melvine Malard (Chelsea & France) Manaka Matsukubo (Chelsea & Japan) Vivianne Miedema (Manchester City & Netherlands) Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona & Poland) Claudia Pina (FC Barcelona & Spain) Alexia Putellas (London City Lionesses & Spain) Wendie Renard (OL Lyonnes & France) Alessia Russo (Arsenal & England) Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw (Manchester City & Jamaica) Momoko Tanikawa (Bayern Munich & Japan) Caroline Weir (OL Lyonnes & Scotland) Tessa Wullaert (Como & Belgium) Ballon d'Or 2026: Men's Young Talent of the Year nominees Kerim Alajbegovic (Juventus & Bosnia and Herzegovina) Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City & Morocco) Pau Cubarsí (FC Barcelona & Spain) Yan Diomandé (Real Madrid & Germany) Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth & France) Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona & Spain) Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa & Switzerland) Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen & Algeria) Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain & France) Ballon d'Or 2026: Women's Young Talent of the Year nominees Veerle Buurman (Chelsea & Netherlands) Vicky Lopez (FC Barcelona & Spain) Felicia Schröder (Real Madrid & Sweden) Clara Serrajordi (FC Barcelona & Spain) Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes & USA) Ballon d'Or 2026: Men's Goalkeeper of the Year nominees Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal & Morocco) Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid & Belgium) Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund & Switzerland) Joan Garcia (FC Barcelona & Spain) Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli & Senegal) Emiliano Martínez (Chelsea & Argentina) David Raya (Arsenal & Spain) Matvey Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain & Russia) Unai Simón (Athletic Club & Spain) Vozinha (Colo Colo & Cabo Verde) Ballon d'Or 2026: Women's Goalkeeper of the Year nominees Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC & Germany) Cata Coll (FC Barcelona & Spain) Hannah Hampton (Chelsea & England) Lorena (Kansas City Current & Brazil) Ayaka Yamashita (Manchester City & Japan) Ballon d'Or 2026: Men's Coach of the Year nominees Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) Luis de la Fuente (Spain) Unai Emery (Aston Villa) Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich) Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain) Ballon d'Or 2026: Women's Coach of the Year nominees Jonatan Giráldez (OL Lyonnes) Andree Jeglertz (Manchester City) Nils Nielsen (Japan) Pere Romeu (FC Barcelona) Elena Sadiku (Celtic & BK Häcken) Ballon d'Or 2026: Men's Club of the Year nominees Arsenal Bayern Munich Bodø/Glimt Flamengo Paris Saint-Germain Ballon d'Or 2026: Women's Club of the Year nominees