Nominees Announced for 2026 Ballon d'Or Awards

morning · 9 September 2026 · thread: Real Madrid Defeats Schalke 04 in Preseason Friendly

7 sources across 7 countries

Who reported this

elDiarioAR Argentina · Centre-left · Newsroom-majority owned, membership funded
France 24 France · Centre · Public · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
Tempo English Indonesia · Centre-left · PT Tempo Inti Media
Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation
CNN United States · Centre-left · Warner Bros. Discovery

What the colours mean

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Centre-left
Centre
Centre-right
Right
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Sport

France Football has unveiled the 30 man and woman nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, with the awards ceremony scheduled for October 26 in London. Among the men's nominees are Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Rodri, Lamine Yamal, and eight time winner Lionel Messi. Several sources identify Kane, Mbappé, Rodri, and Yamal as the leading contenders for the prize. Kane is noted for scoring 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich, while Mbappé is highlighted as the all time leading scorer of the 2026 World Cup. Rodri is recognized for captaining Spain to World Cup victory. Messi, now 39 and playing for Inter Miami, would be the first male winner to receive the award without playing for a European club during the evaluated season. In the women's category, Alexia Putellas is cited as a standout candidate. Notably, three time winner Aitana Bonmatí was omitted from the selection, which some sources attribute to a broken leg suffered in November 2025. Other categories include the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers, featuring Gregor Kobel and Vozinha, and a coach's award featuring Vincent Kompany, Luis de la Fuente, and Luis Enrique.

How each side framed it

Centre-left: These reports emphasized the individual achievements of Messi and the rising status of young stars like Lamine Yamal.
Centre: These outlets focused on the general list of nominees and the specific absence of Aitana Bonmatí.
Centre-right: This coverage highlighted the lack of German players on the men's list and the specific contributions of Bayern Munich players.

Sources

Centre-left CNN: Lionel Messi and World Cup winner Lamine Yamal on 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or nominee list United States · Warner Bros. Discovery
Centre France 24: Ballon d'or: Mbappé, Messi, Dembélé nominated, Bonmati absent from the selection France · Publicly funded, editorially independent by charter · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Football award: Kane nominated for Ballon d'Or, but no German player Germany · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
Centre Reuters: Kane, Haaland, Messi on Ballon d'Or shortlist, Vozinha gets Yashin nomination - reuters.com United Kingdom · Thomson Reuters Corporation
Centre Telex: Messi is also among this year's Ballon d'Or nominees, Kane and Yamal are the two big favorites for the award Hungary · Reader-funded, staff-owned
Centre-left Tempo English: Top 5 Favorites for the 2026 Ballon d'Or Indonesia · PT Tempo Inti Media
Centre-left elDiarioAR: Lionel Messi was nominated for the Ballon d'Or, an award he has already won eight times Argentina · Newsroom-majority owned, membership funded

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.