The Ballon d'Or 2026 shortlist is out: 30 nominees, one glittering ceremony in London on October 26, and a four-way fight for football's most prestigious individual prize between Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and defending champion Ousmane Dembélé. Here is your complete guide to the nominees, the favourites and how to watch the 70th edition of the awards.
The favourites: Kane, Yamal, Mbappé and Dembélé
The smart money is on Harry Kane. The England captain scored 61 goals for Bayern Munich in the 2025/26 campaign and is widely tipped to lift the trophy after finishing 13th last year despite 41 goals in 2024/25. He also fired England to the World Cup semi-finals this summer, a run that has strengthened his case considerably.
Right with him is Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona superstar, runner-up in 2025, posted 25 goals and 20 assists in 57 appearances in 2025/26, helped Barça retain the La Liga title and played a key role in Spain's World Cup triumph. At just 19, he could become one of the youngest winners in the award's history.
Kylian Mbappé produced outrageous numbers for Real Madrid: 58 goals in 60 matches across 2025/26, finishing as the leading scorer in the Champions League, La Liga and the World Cup. Few players on the planet can match that strike rate.
And don't forget Ousmane Dembélé. The defending men's winner after his 2025 triumph remains firmly in the conversation, backed by PSG's Champions League-winning side that dominates this year's shortlist.
PSG dominate the 30-man shortlist
European champions Paris Saint-Germain account for a full third of the 30 nominees: Vitinha, Dembélé, Fabián Ruiz, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Achraf Hakimi, João Neves, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho and Ferran Torres — the latter joined PSG from Barcelona this summer after scoring Spain's winning goal in July's World Cup final. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona follow with four nominees each, while Arsenal have three.
Two storylines dominate the men's list beyond the favourites. Lionel Messi returns to the shortlist after missing the 2024 and 2025 editions; the Inter Miami star owns a record eight Ballon d'Or titles, the last in 2023. Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo is absent for a fourth consecutive year. Three England internationals made the cut — Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice — with voting taking place between now and the ceremony on October 26.
The wider 2026 awards cover the women's game, the Kopa Trophy for young players (Lamine Yamal is a nominee there too), the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers — Yassine Bounou, Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano MartÃnez, David Raya and Unai Simón — plus Coach of the Year contenders including Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta and Vincent Kompany, and Club of the Year finalists such as PSG, Arsenal and Flamengo.
Ceremony details: first Ballon d'Or outside Paris
The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26, 2026 — the first time in the award's history it has been staged outside its traditional Paris home. London hosts the milestone edition to honour Sir Stanley Matthews, the first-ever Ballon d'Or winner back in 1956.
The takeaway: with Kane's goals, Yamal's genius, Mbappé's numbers and Dembélé's title defence, the 2026 race is one of the most open in years. Whatever happens in London on October 26, the 70th Ballon d'Or will mark a new chapter for the sport's greatest individual prize.