Rose Lavelle earns lone USWNT nomination for 2026 Ballon d'Or

Rose Lavelle was the lone American nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, which announced its shortlist on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Lavelle has enjoyed a fine season with Gotham FC and has continued to be a centerpiece of the U.S. women's national team as it heads toward the 2027 World Cup. The 31-year-old le

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Rose Lavelle was the lone American nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, which announced its shortlist on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Lavelle has enjoyed a fine season with Gotham FC and has continued to be a centerpiece of the U.S. women's national team as it heads toward the 2027 World Cup.

The 31-year-old led Gotham to a NWSL championship in 2025

, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit in the title game.

Gotham FC is atop the NWSL standings as the 2026 campaign winds down, with Lavelle tallying four goals in 19 matches so far.

Lavelle has played in six matches for the USWNT in 2026, scoring two goals. She has 122 caps in her national team career, scoring in the team's 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the 2019 World Cup final.

Nominated

for the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or ⬇️@roselavelle@GothamFC@USWNT#ballondor pic.twitter.com/raMmhAIqwK
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026

Though Lavelle is the only USWNT player up for the Ballon d'Or, she wasn't the only player nominated on Tuesday. Lily Yohannes was one of five players named finalists for the Women's Young Talent of the Year award.

The 19-year-old midfielder helped OL Lyonnes win another French league title and reach the UEFA Champions League final this year, all while continuing to earn regular minutes with the USWNT.

The women's Ballon d'Or has been won by a Spanish player the past five years, with Alexia Putellas winning in 2021 and 2022, then Aitana Bonmatí winning in 2023, 2024 and 2025.There will be no four-peat for Bonmatí, however, as the midfielder wasn't nominated due to missing much of the year with injury.

Below are the 30 players named to the shortlist for the 2026 women's Ballon d'Or.