MESSI, YAMAL, MBAPPE LEAD 2026 BALLON D’OR RACE

By: Victor Hashim

The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has officially begun with Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Rodri and defending champion Ousmane Dembele among the 30 nominees announced on Tuesday.

Messi’s inclusion is one of the major talking points after the Argentine missed the shortlist in the previous two editions. The eight-time winner returns after another notable campaign with Inter Miami and Argentina.

Yamal also enters the race as one of the leading contenders after an outstanding season with Barcelona and Spain. At 19, the Spanish forward is seeking to become one of the youngest players to win the prestigious award.

Mbappe, Kane, Haaland and Rodri are also among the prominent names on the list, while Dembele has the opportunity to retain the award he won in 2025.

African football has three representatives in the main men’s category, with Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza earning nominations. Hakimi was a key figure for Paris Saint-Germain, while Mane continues to feature prominently at international and club level.

Paris Saint-Germain has the strongest presence among clubs, with nine players nominated. The French champions are represented by Dembele, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and others after another successful campaign.

The 2026 award is particularly significant because performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup form part of the assessment period. That gives players who excelled in the tournament an important advantage in the final voting.

The women’s Ballon d’Or will also be contested by 30 nominees. Last year’s winner, Aitana Bonmati, is absent from the list after a long-term injury, ending her run of three consecutive victories.

This year’s ceremony will be held on October 26 at the London Palladium, marking the first time the Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in London. It will also be the 70th edition of the award, which was created in 1956 when England’s Stanley Matthews became the inaugural winner.

Alongside the two main awards, winners will be announced in categories covering young players, goalkeepers, coaches, strikers and clubs.

With a mixture of established winners, emerging stars and outstanding World Cup performers, the 2026 Ballon d’Or is shaping up as one of the most closely contested editions in recent years.