The 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees are being announced on the award’s official X account, category by category, ahead of the October 26 ceremony in London.
The shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has begun rolling out, marking the 70th edition of the award that recognises outstanding achievement in football.
This year’s nominees are being honoured for performances across the 2025/26 season, with the winners to be crowned at a ceremony in London on October 26, the first time the gala has been held on English soil.
The nominees are being announced via the award body’s official X handle and website on Tuesday, category by category. Twelve categories in total are set to be revealed, covering the Men’s and Women’s Ballon d’Or, Striker of the Year, Young Talent (Kopa Trophy), Goalkeeper (Yashin Trophy), Coach of the Year, Club of the Year, and more.
This is a live blog and will be updated as further categories are announced.
Confirmed So Far
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
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Bayern Munich
- Bodø/Glimt
- Flamengo
Arsenal’s nomination follows their Premier League title and a run to the Champions League final, while Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt and Brazil’s Flamengo round out a geographically wide-ranging shortlist.
Women’s Club of the Year
- FC Barcelona
- Bayern Munich
- Club América
- Manchester City
- OL Lyonnes
Barcelona lead the pack after winning both La Liga and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, while Club América earned their nomination on the back of CONCACAF W Champions Cup success.
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 — Manchester City
More details to follow…
What to Expect Next
Nominees for the marquee individual prizes, the 30-man and 30-woman shortlists for the Men’s and Women’s Ballon d’Or, are still to be announced, alongside the Kopa Trophy (young talent), Yashin Trophy (goalkeepers), Men’s and Women’s Striker of the Year, and the Sócrates Award for social impact.
Defending men’s champion Ousmane Dembélé enters this year’s race looking to become only the latest in a small group of players to win back-to-back Ballon d’Ors, after a strong 2025/26 campaign that saw Paris Saint-Germain retain their domestic and European titles. On the women’s side, Aitana Bonmatí is chasing a historic fourth consecutive win, in what is shaping up to be one of the most open women’s races in recent years.
Once the full shortlists are out, winners will be determined by a global panel of specialist journalists, one representative per country from the top 100 nations in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, and the top 50 in the Women’s World Ranking, voting on individual performance, collective achievement and trophies won, and sporting conduct.
This article will be updated as more categories are confirmed.
