What is the story about?
The
day has arrived. Monday, Oct. 26 will see the 2026 Ballon d'Or presented at a ceremony in London.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane are among this year’s nominees, alongside reigning winner Ousmane Dembélé.
Here is the full 30-man shortlist of nominees for the prize:
2026 Men's Ballon d'Or nominees
- Jude Bellingham — Real Madrid, England
- Pau Cubarsí — Barcelona, Spain
- Marc Cucurella — Chelsea/Real Madrid, Spain
- Ousmane Dembélé — Paris Saint-Germain, France
- Luis Díaz — Bayern Munich, Colombia
- Bruno Fernandes — Manchester United, Portugal
- Gabriel Magalhães — 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 — Barcelona, Spain
- Sadio Mané — Al-Nassr, Senegal
- Marquinhos — Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil
- Lautaro Martínez — Inter, 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
- Julián Quiñones — Al-Qadsiah, Mexico
- Declan Rice — Arsenal, England
- Rodri — Manchester City/Barcelona, Spain
- Fabián Ruiz — Paris Saint-Germain, Spain
- William Saliba — Arsenal, France
- Ferran Torres — Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain, Spain
- Dayot Upamecano — Bayern Munich, France
- Vinícius Júnior — Real Madrid, Brazil
- Vitinha — Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal
Who won the Ballon d'Or last year?
Dembélé earned the prize in 2025 after a sensational campaign with PSG, helping the club to a treble including the Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Champions League trophies.
When is the 2026 Ballon d'Or?
- Date: Monday, Oct. 26
- Time: 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET)
- Venue: London Palladium Theatre, England
How to watch the 2026 Ballon d'Or
The ceremony will stream on the award website here, and it will also be available on DAZN.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees: Full list of 30 men's finalists
