Paris Saint-Germain gains the largest share of names on France Football's 30-player shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, supplying ten nominees and becoming the most represented club ahead of the October 26 ceremony in London. The list of men’s nominees, published on Tuesday, follows a season that included the UEFA Champions League and the World Cup, and it places a heavy spotlight on PSG’s squad depth.
The Story in Pictures
Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona each have four players on the shortlist, Arsenal provided three, and Manchester City two. Chelsea, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Al‑Nassr, Al‑Qadsiah and Inter Miami each have one nominee. Organisers noted that players who changed clubs during the period under review, such as Ferran Torres, Marc Cucurella and Rodri, are credited to both clubs they represented during the year.
The 30 men named include established and rising figures from across world football. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé appear among the nominees, alongside Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Vinícius Júnior. PSG’s ten-player contingent features names that span defence, midfield and attack, underlining the club’s recent continental form.
France Football also published the women’s shortlist, which features leading names such as Alexia Putellas, Vivianne Miedema and Khadija Shaw, among others. The organisers confirmed this edition will mark the award’s 70th anniversary, and that the ceremony will be staged at the London Palladium Theatre for the first time on Monday 26 October.
Since 2024, France Football has co-organised the Ballon d'Or with UEFA, a partnership the organisers say continues into this edition. The choice of London as host city was presented as a nod to the award's inaugural winner, England's Stanley Matthews. The 2026 awards programme will include the Men’s and Women’s Ballon d'Or, Young Talent of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Coach of the Year, Club of the Year, Striker of the Year, and the Sócrates Award for solidarity initiatives.
The shortlist publication sets the stage for voting and media attention over the next two months, with the winner to be revealed at the London ceremony on October 26. For clubs, the nominations amplify player profiles; for voters, the concentration of nominees at a few clubs introduces new dynamics in how support may be distributed across candidates.
