09 / 10
Ballon d'Or names 30 nominees
The men’s shortlist includes Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Julián Quiñones ahead of October’s London ceremony.
What happened
France Football announced nominees across its 2026 Ballon d’Or categories, including 30 contenders for the men’s player award. The men’s list includes Bellingham, Dembélé, Haaland, Messi, Mbappé, Yamal and Quiñones. Shortlists were also released for women’s player, goalkeeping, young-player and club awards. The ceremony will be held in London.
Numbers
- 30 nomineesMen’s player award shortlist
- 26 OctDate of London ceremony
- 100 journalistsMen’s jury voting membership
- 50 journalistsWomen’s jury voting membership
Questions
- Who chooses the winners?
- A jury of journalists from the highest-ranked FIFA countries votes for the men’s award, with a separate jury voting for the women’s category.
- How did Quiñones reach the list?
- He finished as Saudi Pro League top scorer and scored in Mexico’s World Cup campaign after joining Al-Qadsiah.
- Could players outside Europe qualify?
- Yes. Revised eligibility removed the European-league requirement, allowing performances for clubs elsewhere to count toward nomination during this cycle.
- What changes at this ceremony?
- It will be the first ceremony held outside France, moving the event to the London Palladium after previous editions in France.
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The catch
The lists name candidates, but coverage provides no vote totals or ranking among them before the ceremony.