Kane, Mbappe lead 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist as Messi targets ninth award
Harry Kane leads a star-studded 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with the Bayern Munich striker widely tipped to claim the prestigious individual prize.
The England captain is one of three English players nominated, alongside Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Arsenal’s Declan Rice.
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Kane enjoyed a prolific campaign with Bayern and enters the race as the bookmakers’ favourite, but he faces competition from some of football’s biggest names, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
Messi, Yamal and Mbappe make the cut
Messi has been nominated as he attempts to win the Ballon d’Or for a record ninth time.
The 39-year-old scored eight goals at the 2026 World Cup as Argentina reached the final, where they were beaten by Spain. He has since announced his retirement from international football.
Spain’s World Cup triumph has also been strongly reflected in the shortlist, with six members of the champions included.
Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal is among them, while Paris Saint-Germain forward Ferran Torres also earned a nomination after scoring the decisive goal in the World Cup final.
PSG have the largest representation among the clubs, with nine players nominated apart from Torres, who joined the French champions from Barcelona during the summer.
Last year’s winner Ousmane Dembele is also among the contenders.
Real Madrid forwards Mbappe and Vinicius Jr feature alongside Arsenal defenders Gabriel and William Saliba, while Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes also made the list.
Vozinha among goalkeeper nominees
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha has been rewarded for his outstanding World Cup performances with a nomination for the men’s goalkeeper award.
The Colo-Colo shot-stopper is joined by Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Barcelona’s Joan Garcia and Arsenal’s David Raya.
Edouard Mendy, Gregor Kobel, Emiliano Martinez, Matvey Safonov and Unai Simon complete the shortlist.
Vozinha’s inclusion provides one of the standout stories among the goalkeeper nominees after his heroics helped make him one of the tournament’s most memorable performers.
Ballon d’Or ceremony set for London
The 2026 ceremony will take place in London on October 26 as the Ballon d’Or celebrates its 70th anniversary.
The choice of venue is a tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the England legend who became the first winner of the award in 1956.
Other prizes will also be presented, with Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery, Luis Enrique, Luis de la Fuente and Vincent Kompany nominated for men’s coach of the year.
Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodo/Glimt, Flamengo and PSG are competing for the men’s club of the year award, while the young talent category includes Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Warren Zaire-Emery and several other emerging stars.
2026 Ballon d’Or contenders
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England)
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)
Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid/Spain)
Ousmane Dembele (Paris St-Germain/France)
Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich/Colombia)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/Portugal)
Gabriel (Arsenal/Brazil)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway)
Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain/Morocco)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris St-Germain/Georgia)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr/Senegal)
Marquinhos (Paris St-Germain/Brazil)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan/Argentina)
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/France)
Nuno Mendes (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina)
Joao Neves (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/France)
Willian Pacho (Paris St-Germain/Ecuador)
Julian Quinones (Al-Qadsiah/Mexico)
Declan Rice (Arsenal/England)
Rodri (Barcelona/Spain)
Fabian Ruiz (Paris St-Germain/Spain)
William Saliba (Arsenal/France)
Ferran Torres (Paris St-Germain/Spain)
Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/France)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid/Brazil)
Vitinha (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)
Men’s young talent of the year nominations
Kerim Alajbegovic (Bayer Leverkusen/Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Man City/France)
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)
Yan Diomande (Real Madrid/Ivory Coast)
Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa/Switzerland)
Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen/Algeria)
Warren Zaire-Emery (France/Paris St-Germain)
Men’s goalkeeper of the year nominations
Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal/Morocco)
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Joan Garcia (Barcelona/Spain)
Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund/Switzerland)
Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa/Chelsea/Argentina)
Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli/Senegal)
David Raya (Arsenal/Spain)
Matvey Safonov (Paris St-Germain/Russia)
Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao/Spain)
Vozinha (Colo-Colo/Cape Verde)
Men’s coach of the year nominations
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Luis Enrique (Paris St-Germain)
Luis de la Fuente (Spain)
Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich)
Men’s club of the year nominations
Arsenal (England)
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Bodo/Glimt (Norway)
Flamengo (Brazil)
Paris St-Germain (France)