The organizers of the Ballon d’Or on Tuesday published the complete shortlist of nominees for the 2026 awards, an announcement carried via the award body’s official X account that sets the stage for what promises to be a hotly contested ceremony in London on October 26.
The occasion carries extra weight this year, marking the 70th anniversary of an award long regarded as football’s ultimate individual honor.
Below is the full breakdown of nominees across every category announced so far:
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 Femení
- 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
- Édouard 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 Femení / 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 Cubarsí—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 Femení / Spain
- Felicia Schröder — BK Häcken, Real Madrid / Sweden
- Clara Serrajordi—FC Barcelona Femení / Spain
- Lily Yohannes—OL Lyonnes / US Women’s National Soccer Team
Notably, the shortlists reflect a strong African presence this year, with Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco), Yan Diomandé (Côte d’Ivoire), and Ibrahim Maza (Algeria) all featuring in the Men’s Young Talent race, while Yassine Bounou (Morocco), Édouard Mendy (Senegal) and Vozinha (Cape Verde) represent the continent among the Men’s Goalkeeper nominees, a sign of the growing depth of talent emerging from African football on the world stage.
Voting panels will now deliberate ahead of the winners’ announcement at the ceremony in London next month.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist, unveiled in the award’s landmark 70th year, spans coaches, clubs, goalkeepers, and young talent across the men’s and women’s games, but the standout story is Africa’s strong showing, with Morocco, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria and Cape Verde all producing nominees, signaling the continent’s growing influence on world football ahead of the ceremony in London on October 26.
