It happens all the time: officially, the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or announced

France Football magazine, in cooperation with UEFA, began unveiling the official list of nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or on Tuesday. Football's most prestigious individual prize follows an exceptional season of fierce competition between the game's biggest stars, both collectively and individually.

Months of tracking and evaluating performances for club and country have gone into the final list. The award rewards what players delivered last season, from titles won to individual statistics and technical impact on the pitch.

Standout moments came thick and fast last term, across the major European leagues, the UEFA Champions League and the 2026 World Cup. That has made this year's race one of the most exciting in recent memory, with a huge number of stars producing eye-catching displays.

The award's accounts started rolling out the nominees one by one. We'll keep you updated as soon as each name drops.

First up was the Best Women's Club award, with Barcelona leading the way. The La Liga and Champions League winners face competition from Champions League runners-up Bayern Munich, England's Manchester City and France's Lyon.

Next came the Best Men's Team award, opening with Arsenal, Premier League champions and Champions League runners-up. They go up against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, Norway's Bodo/Glimt, Brazil's Flamengo and France's Paris Saint-Germain.

Five names contest the Best Women's Coach in the World category: Jonatan Giraldez (Lyon), Andree Jeglertz (Manchester City), Nils Nielsen (Japan national team), Pere Romeu (Barcelona) and Elena Sadiku (Celtic/BK Hacken).

Spanish coaches dominated the Best Men's Coach in the World nominations. The quintet features Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Luis de la Fuente (Spain national team), Unai Emery (Aston Villa), Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain) and Belgium's Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich).

Big names missed out. Germany's Hansi Flick, Spain's Pep Guardiola, Argentina's Diego Simeone and Lionel Scaloni all failed to make the cut.

The contenders for the Best Women's Goalkeeper in the World for 2026 award are Germany's Ann-Katrin Berger, Spain's Cata Coll, England's Hannah Hampton, Brazil's Lorena and Japan's Ayaka Yamashita.

Ten names make up the Best Goalkeeper in the World award (the Lev Yashin Trophy) list: Spain's Joan Garcia, Morocco's Yassine Bounou, Belgium's Thibaut Courtois, Argentina's Emiliano Martinez, Switzerland's Gregor Kobel, Senegal's Edouard Mendy, Spain's David Raya and his compatriot Unai Simon, Cape Verde's Vozinha and Russia's Safonov.

Two Arab stars are in the running for the Kopa Trophy for Best Young Player in the World. Morocco's Ayoub Bouaddi and Algeria's Ibrahim Maza compete against eight other prominent names.

Alongside Bouaddi and Maza, the list features Bosnia's Kerim Alajbegovic, Spain's Pau Cubarsi, Ivory Coast's Yan Diomande, Germany's Lennart Karl, France's Elie Junior Kroupi, Spain's Lamine Yamal, Switzerland's Johan Manzambi and France's Warren Zaire-Emery.

The Ballon d'Or goes to the best player in the world each year, decided by a vote from a panel of sports journalists representing countries across the globe. Voters weigh several criteria, chiefly individual and collective performance, sportsmanship and consistency throughout the season.

London hosts the awards ceremony on 26 October 2026, a first in the award's history. The night will crown the Ballon d'Or winner along with the rest of the individual prizes: the Yashin Trophy for Best Goalkeeper, the Kopa Trophy for Best Young Player, the Best Coach award, the Best Club award and several others.

Global attention descends on the Ballon d'Or every year, the definitive measure of the world's best player. Public and media interest runs high, sharpened by the fierce battle between the biggest stars for the most coveted individual honour.

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