Football

The Ballon d’Or is considered the most prestigious individual award in soccer, and the 2026 gala is fast approaching as we will soon learn the latest player to be enshrined into global greatness.

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Last year’s men’s winner Ousmane Dembele could be up for another triumph, but in all likelihood, a new winner is expected to be crowned.

Rodri, the 2024 winner, put himself back up for the award with a stunning run to a World Cup title this summer, while Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, and Michael Olise are considered contenders as well. Lionel Messi would have potentially been a candidate and is likely to be included on the list thanks to another World Cup full of heroics, but defeat in the final probably ended any chance of lifting a record-extending ninth trophy.

The Sporting News brings you a look at who has been nominated for this year’s award, as the list of players from which the winner will be selected has been revealed.

MORE: Who should win the 2026 Ballon d’Or? Check out the power rankings

Ballon d’Or nominees for 2026 award

The nominees up for the 2026 Ballon d’Or will be announced by France Football on Tuesday, September 8, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. CET (5 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET).

A 30-player shortlist will be revealed, from which the winner will eventually be selected.

This section will be updated once the nominees are announced.

When is the 2026 Ballon d’Or award ceremony?

The 2026 Ballon d’Or will be awarded at a ceremony on Monday, October 26.

While the ceremony is usually held in Paris, France, the gala for the 70th edition of the men’s trophy will be held this time in London, England. This is to honor inaugural winner, Sir Stanley Matthews, who was presented with the first trophy 70 years ago.

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MORE: How Ballon d’Or voting works

How is the Ballon d’Or winner decided?

A panel of international journalists compiled by France Football comes up with the 30 finalists for the men’s Ballon d’Or and the Yashin Award shortlist for the world’s best goalkeeper.

The voting process for the final award was revised in 2022 to involve a media member from each of the top 100 nations in the FIFA men’s world ranking (for the men’s Ballon d’Or voting) and from the top 50 nations in the FIFA women’s world ranking (for the women’s Ballon d’Or vote).

The media members vote by selecting names from the list of finalists, and they rank their selections. Each vote is weighted with different point totals assigned based on the specific ranking of the player on the ballot. After all the votes are tallied, the player with the most points is awarded the Ballon d’Or.

While the award was initially limited to recognizing the best European player on the continent, in 1995 organizers opened it up to non-Europeans plying their trade in Europe to also be considered. In 2007, the award was expanded further so any player across the world could be eligible whether or not they played in Europe.

Alongside the change in timeline, voter base and player eligibility, the voting criteria was also updated in 2022 to eliminate consideration for overall career performance, which potentially skewed the 2021 vote in favor of Messi, and instead focus on three main factors:

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1. Individual performance in previous season (no longer by calendar year);
2. Team success during the previous season;
3. Player behavior and fair play during the season in consideration.