2026 Ballon d’Or: Messi, Mbappé, Yamal and Kane Lead Confirmed Nominees
France Football has released the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards, with the ceremony scheduled for October 26 in London. Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé returns as the reigning men’s winner after beating Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal to last year’s prize. The men’s award shortlist includes Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Vinícius Júnior, Declan Rice, Bruno Fernandes, Sadio Mané, Lautaro Martínez and Dembélé. Other nominees include Rodri, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Michael Olise, João Neves, William Saliba and Vitinha. Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain feature among the club award nominees. The releases also cover the women’s Ballon d’Or, young player, goalkeeper and coach categories, with stars such as Barbra Banda, Caroline Graham Hansen, Ewa Pajor, Hannah Hampton and Cata Coll in contention.
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