The 70th year of the Ballon d’Or, which honors and celebrates outstanding accomplishments in the world of football throughout the 2025–2026 season, has begun with the announcement of the shortlist for the 2026 nominees.
On Tuesday, the nominees were revealed through the award body’s X handle.
Among other categories, the Men’s and Women’s Striker of the Year nominees, outstanding young talent, goalkeepers, clubs, and coaches who performed exceptionally well during the previous season were also revealed.
View the complete list of nominations in every category below:
Women’s Ballon d’Or
Selma Bacha — OL Lyonnes/France
Barbra Banda — Orlando Pride/Zambia
Klara Bühl — Bayern Munich/Germany
Esmee Brugts — FC Barcelona Femeni/Netherlands
Mariona Caldentey — Arsenal/Spain
Scarlett Camberos — Club America/Mexico
Kerstin Casparij — Manchester City Women/Netherlands
Temwa Chawinga — Kansas City Current/Malawi
Cata Coll — FC Barcelona Femeni/Spain
Melchie Dumornay — OL Lyonnes/Haiti
Caroline Graham Hansen — FC Barcelona Femeni/Norway
Alex Greenwood — Manchester City Women/England
Pernille Harder — Bayern Munich/Denmark
Patri Guijarro — FC Barcelona Femeni/Spain
Rose Lavelle — Gotham FC/US Women’s National Soccer Team
Yui Hasegawa — Manchester City Women/Japan
Mapi León — FC Barcelona Femení, London City Lionesses/Spain
Lorena — Kansas City Current/Brazil
Melvine Malard — Manchester United, Chelsea/France
Manaka Matsukubo — North Carolina Courage, Chelsea/Japan
Ewa Pajor — FC Barcelona Femení/Poland
Vivianne Miedema — Manchester City Women/Netherlands
Claudia Pina — FC Barcelona Femení/Spain
Alexia Putellas — FC Barcelona Femení, London City Lionesses/Spain
Alessia Russo — Arsenal/England
Momoko Tanikawa — Bayern Munich/Japan
Wendie Renard — OL Lyonnes/France
Khadija Shaw — Manchester City Women/Jamaica
Caroline Weir — Real Madrid, OL Lyonnes/Scotland
Tessa Wullaert — Inter Milan, Como/Belgium
Men’s Coach of the Year
Mikel Arteta — Arsenal
Luis de la Fuente — Spain National Team
Unai Emery — Aston Villa
Vincent Kompany — Bayern Munich
Luis Enrique — Paris Saint-Germain
Women’s Coach of the Year
Jonatan Giráldez — OL Lyonnes
Andrée Jeglertz — Manchester City Women
Nils Nielsen — Japan National Team
Pere Romeu — FC Barcelona Femeni
Elena Sadiku — Celtic FC Women/BK Häcken
Men’s Club of the Year
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Bodø/Glimt
Flamengo
Paris Saint-Germain
Women’s Club of the Year
FC Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Club América
Manchester City
OL Lyonnes
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
Yassine Bounou — Al-Hilal/Morocco
Thibaut Courtois — Real Madrid/Belgium
Joan García — FC Barcelona/Spain
Gregor Kobel — Borussia Dortmund/Switzerland
Emiliano Martínez –Aston Villa, Chelsea/Argentina
Edouard Mendy — Al-Ahli/Senegal
David Raya –Arsenal/Spain
Matvey Safonov — Paris Saint-Germain/Russia
Unai Simón — Athletic Bilbao/Spain
Vozinha (Josimar Dias) — GD Chaves, Colo-Colo/Cape Verde
Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year
Ann-Katrin Berger — Gotham FC/England
Cata Coll — FC Barcelona Femeni/Spain
Hannah Hampton — Chelsea FC/England
Lorena — Kansas City Current/Brazil
Ayaka Yamashita — Manchester City Women
Men’s Young Talent of the Year
Ayyoub Bouaddi — Lille, Manchester City/Morocco
Kerim Alajbegović — RB Salzburg, Juventus/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Yan Diomandé — RB Leipzig, Real Madrid/Côte d’Ivoire
Pau Cubarsi — FC Barcelona/Spain
Lennart Karl — Bayern Munich/Germany
Éli Junior Kroupi — AFC Bournemouth/France
Lamine Yamal — FC Barcelona/Spain
Ibrahim Maza — Bayer Leverkusen/Algeria
Johan Manzambi — SC Freiburg, Aston Villa/Switzerland
Warren Zaïre-Emery — Paris Saint-Germain/France
Women’s Young Talent of the Year
Veerle Buurman — Chelsea/Netherlands
Vicky López — FC Barcelona Femeni/Spain
Felicia Schröder –BK Häcken, Real Madrid/Sweden
Clara Serrajordi — FC Barcelona Femeni/Spain
Lily Yohannes — OL Lyonnes/US Women’s National Soccer Team
More details to follow….
Congratulations to all the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Your incredible talent, dedication, and hard work have earned you this prestigious recognition, and each of you has made a significant impact in the world of football. Wishing you the best of luck as you continue to inspire fans around the globe with your exceptional performances.
