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.
Patri Guijarro, Khadija Shaw, Alexia Putellas and Temwa Chawinga are among this year’s nominees, but reigning winner Aitana Bonmatí won't be present.
Here is the full 30-player shortlist of women's nominees for the prize:
2026 Women's Ballon d'Or nominees
- Selma Bacha — OL Lyonnes, France
- Barbra Banda — Orlando Pride, Zambia
- Klara Bühl — Bayern Munich, Germany
- Esmee Brugts — Barcelona, Netherlands
- 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
- Caroline Graham Hansen — Barcelona, Norway
- Alex Greenwood — Manchester City, England
- Patri Guijarro — Barcelona, Spain
- Pernille Harder — Bayern Munich, Denmark
- Yui Hasegawa — Manchester City, Japan
- Rose Lavelle — Gotham FC, United States
- Mapi León — Barcelona/London City Lionesses, Spain
- Lorena — Kansas City Current, Brazil
- Melvine Malard — Manchester United/Chelsea, France
- Manaka Matsukubo — North Carolina Courage/Chelsea, Japan
- Vivianne Miedema — Manchester City, Netherlands
- Ewa Pajor — Barcelona, Poland
- Claudia Pina — Barcelona, Spain
- Alexia Putellas — Barcelona/London City Lionesses, Spain
- Wendie Renard — OL Lyonnes, France
- Alessia Russo — Arsenal, England
- Khadija Shaw — Manchester City, Jamaica
- Momoko Tanikawa — Bayern Munich, Japan
- Caroline Weir — Real Madrid/OL Lyonnes, Scotland
- Tessa Wullaert — Inter/Como, Belgium
Who won the Women's Ballon d'Or last year?
Bonmatí earned the Ballon d'Or in 2025, winning the prize for the third straight year. But the Barcelona midfielder won't win a fourth in a row, having missed the shortlist entirely after a season marred by injury.
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 Women’s Ballon d'Or nominees: Full list of 30 finalists
