Soccer
2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or Nominees: Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, and 10 PSG Players
The nominations for the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious award in international soccer, were announced on Tuesday, September 8, via their official Instagram account.
The 30 players who made the men’s short list includes last year’s winner, Ousmane Dembele, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and France, along with:
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona and Spain)
Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid and Spain)
Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich and Colombia)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United and Portugal)
Gabriel (Arsenal and Brazil)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain and Georgia)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)
Sadio Mane (Al Nassr and Senegal)
Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan and Argentina)
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid and France)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami and Argentina)
Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich and France)
Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain and Ecuador)
Julian Quinones (Al Qadsiah and Mexico)
Declan Rice (Arsenal and England)
Rodri (Barcelona and Spain)
Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain and Spain)
Ferran Torres (Paris Saint-Germain and Spain)
Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich and France)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid and Brazil)
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal)
Current European champion club Paris Saint-Germain, which has 10 players on the list, is also nominated for Men’s Club of the Year, along with Bayern-Munich, Arsenal, Flamengo, and Bodo/Glimt.
The awards, which have been handed out by France Football magazine since 1956, have become one of the most coveted prizes in all of sports. The players are voted on by a panel featuring one journalist from each of the top 100-ranked countries in men’s soccer and 50 countries for women’s.
Messi holds the record for wins, with eight.
This year’s winners of the 70th annual Ballon d’Or awards will be announced at a ceremony in London on October 26.
