The official 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or have been confirmed, with some of the biggest names in world football included on the prestigious shortlist.
Harry Kane
Vinicius Jr
Fabián Ruiz
Vitinha
Ferran Torres
William Saliba
Dayot Upamecano
Bruno Fernandes
Pau Cubarsí
Marc Cucurella
Jude Bellingham
Ousmane Dembélé
Luis Diaz
Lamine Yamal
Erling Haaland
Gabriel Magalhães
Achraf Hakimi
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Lionel Messi
Sadio Mané
Marquinhos
Lautaro Martínez
Kylian Mbappé
Nuno Mendes
João Neves
Michael Olise
William Pacho
Julián Quiñones
Rodri
Declan Rice
Softfootball understands that the final race will attract huge attention, particularly with several nominees coming off outstanding seasons for both club and country.
Ousmane Dembélé has already revealed his personal top three candidates, naming Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé as his preferred choices for the award.
The PSG forward himself is also among the nominees after an impressive campaign, while Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi give the European champions strong representation on the shortlist.
Barcelona are represented by Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí and Ferran Torres, while Lionel Messi earns another nomination despite continuing his career outside European football.
The shortlist also features established Premier League stars including Bellingham, Saliba, Haaland, Bruno Fernandes and Declan Rice.
The nominations also underline the nature of the award, with players from different leagues and generations competing for recognition after a season of performances, trophies and memorable moments.
With the 30-man list now confirmed, attention will turn towards the final voting before the prestigious individual award is presented later this year.
