Lionel Messi and World Cup winner Lamine Yamal on 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or nominee list

It’s that time of year again when the soccer world turns its attention to the Ballon d’Or awards — accolades given to the man and woman deemed to be the best player in the world. The nominees for both categories were released on Tuesday, starting what will be an Oscar-worthy campaign ahead of the awards ceremony in London on October 26. Given the top 30 men’s and women’s players were listed, there is little space for controversy at this point. On the men’s side, England striker Harry Kane, French attacker Kylian Mbappé and Spanish youngster Lamine Yamal are the three leading contenders. Kane scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich last season, although failed to win the Champions League or World Cup — two trophies which often determine where this award goes. The same is true of the ever-impressive Mbappé, but the Real Madrid superstar has arguably the most talent of anyone on the list. Then, of course, there’s Yamal – a 19-year-old phenom who has won almost everything you can in the sport as a teenager. He helped Spain win the World Cup this summer, although he wasn’t at his electric best. Eight-time winner of this award Lionel Messi has also been included in the longlist, mainly due to his brilliant performances in the World Cup. He is very unlikely to win, though. Full list of the 30 men’s nominees Ballon d’Or Feminin For the women, it’s a little clearer. Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas is surely the standout after her string of performances for the Catalan club, helping it win the quadruple last season before her move to the London City Lionesses this summer. Her teammate Ewa Pajor is another contender to consider, one of eight players from Barcelona to be nominated. Three-time defending winner Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona missed a large part of the season with a broken leg suffered in late November 2025, so missed out on the list this year. Full list of the 30 women’s nominees Who votes? A team of world-leading soccer journalists votes on who they think is the best player in the world. The award is often controversial given the subjective nature of the process, and yet has felt increasingly important to players in recent years.