Today, France Football revealed the nominees for one of the most prestigious awards in worldwide soccer, the Ballon d’Or. This year, the ceremony will take place on October 26.
Who made the list?
Women’s Ballon d’Or
A total of 30 players have been included in the short list for the prestigious award.
Among them is Barbra Banda. The Zambian international has been making a difference with the Orlando Pride ever since she arrived. Although last year the forward went through injury and missed the final part of the season,
she scored eight goals and registered one assist. This year, fully recovered, has continued where she left off in 2025 and is the runner-up in the Golden Boot race, with 14 goals and 3 assists.
Temwa Chawinga is another player on the list. The Kansas City Current striker not only had an outstanding 2025 with her club, winning MVP honors and Golden Boot back-to-back, but she was also a big piece with her national team, Malawi, in WAFCON. They certainly became a Cinderella story, being one of the debutants in the tournament and going all the way to the final to clinch a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Jamaican Khadija Shaw is living the dream in Europe with Manchester City. Last season, she helped her team win the league and the FA Cup, being the top goalscorer in both competitions. For the WSL, she finished the season with 21 goals and four assists, and with five tallies and three assists in the FA Cup. She also played a pivotal role with her national team, Jamaica, scoring nine goals and one assist in the Concacaf W Qualifiers.
USNWT Lily Yohannes is the youngest player nominated for this year’s award across the entire list. A finalist for the 2025/26 Women’s Champions League with Lyonnes, she helped the club to win the domestic treble (Première Ligue championship, the Coupe de France and the Coupe LFFP). The 19-year-old has also become a regular in Emma Hayes ‘ call-ups for the USWNT.
Rose Lavelle was champion with Gotham last season and she also helped the team to secure the Concacaf W Champions Cup. Additionally, she was chosen as the Championship MVP after scoring the lone goal (80th minute) that gave the Bats the title. It wasn’t an easy year for the midfielder, who spent months recovering from ankle surgery but reached peak form in the playoffs. For country, she was chosen as the 2025 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.
Kansas City Current earned not one but two nominees for this award, with goalkeeper Lorena also included. She had an outstanding year with the club, winning Best XI First Team honors; she helped to break the defense record with 16 clean sheets, conceding only 13 goals. It was no surprise she was the recipient of the Goalkeeper of the Year award. For Brazil, she was the hero in the Copa América final, making a decisive save in a penalty shootout against Colombia, which granted them their fifth consecutive continental title.
Scarlett Camberos is the only Mexican included in the final list. She had an historic year with Club América, winning the league after defeating Rayadas de Monterrey, the Champions of Champions, winning against Tigres and the Concacaf W Champions after playing the final against Washington Spirit. The captain was pivotal for the team’s first treble, scoring a hat-trick in the semifinal of the Continental competition against Gotham, finishing the tournament with nine tallies and the award for Best Player (Golden Ball) and she was later named to the competition’s official team.
Goalkeeper of the Year
Women’s Young Talent of the Year
Lily Yohannes received two nominations this year, not only being listed for the 2026 Ballon d’Or but also for the Young Talent of the Year.
The other nominees include Netherlands international and Chelsea’s centreback Veerle Buurman (20 year old), Spain international and Barcelona’s Vivkey López (20 year old), Swedish international and Real Madrid’s Felicia Schröder (played recently for BK Häcken and she’s 19 years-old), Spain international and Barcelona’s Clara Serrajordi (18 year old) — the youngest in the list.
Women’s Coach of the Year
For Coach of the Year, Ol Lyonnes’ Jonatan Giráldez is included after helping the French club to win a domestic treble and an appearance in the Women’s Champions League final.
Swedish coach Andrée Jeglertz is also nominated after guiding Manchester City to win the league title and the FA Cup.
Danish coach Nils Nielsen has been included as well after coaching Japan to win the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the 2025 She Believes Cup after defeating the United States.
Pere Romeu won a historic quadruple with Barcelona Femení last season. They won the Liga F (Spanish league), Copa de la Reina, the Supercopa de España, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
The only woman included in the list is Elena Sadiku. She won the inaugural season of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup with BK Häcken. Previously to coaching Häcken, she was with Scottish side Celtic.
Women’s Club of the Year
It was already mentioned that Barcelona, Manchester City and OL Lyonnes had outstanding seasons. But so did Bayern Munich. The German side won a treble as well, securing the Frauen-Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal Frauen and the DFB-Supercup Frauen. They have dethroned Wolfsburg and have remained unbeaten in 45 games in a row, a record in the Bundesliga.
What about Club América? They already made history by becoming the first Mexican club to be included in the shortlist. Not only was their last season impressive, becoming the first Mexican team in winning a Continental title but also they defeated two of the strongest NWSL clubs to do so — a feat no other team in Mexico has done before.
