The 2026 Ballon d'Or nominees have been announced as the best male and female footballers of the year are identified. Harry Kane is among those in the running for the men's prize and is the bookmakers' favourite to be crowned. Kane scored 73 goals last season, enjoying one of the best campaigns of his career and he could become the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
Kane is joined the 30-man long-list by international teammates Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. Other Premier League stars like Bruno Fernandes, Erling Haaland, Gabriel and William Saliba are among the other players included. Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe will be the likely challengers to Kane for the illustrious award but there is no nomination for Cristiano Ronaldo despite winning the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr.
England stars Alessia Russo and Alex Greenwood are among 30 players nominated for the women's Ballon d'Or. The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on October 26, 2026 in London. The shortlist was compiled by a group of journalists from France Football working alongside French sports publication L'Equipe.
For the men's Ballon d'Or prize, winners are decided by a voting system involving one journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations. Each journalist casts votes for their top 10 players from the 30-player shortlist. The 10 players are awarded 15, 12, 10, seven, five, four, three, two and one point based on where they rank.
If players are tied on points, then whoever has the most first-place rankings from the 100 journalists finishes ahead on points. If that is tied, then it's the most second-places and so on. Journalists are encouraged to consider three factors when deciding their vote: Individual performances, decisive and impressive character For the women's Ballon d'Or, the same process applies but only journalists from the top-50 ranked nations are invited to vote.
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