The official 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or 30-man shortlist was announced today (Sept. 8), with 39-year-old Messi making the cut alongside stars such as Mbappé, Kane, and Haaland. The final awards ceremony will take place on Oct. 26 in London.
The 30-man shortlist:
Bellingham (Real Madrid / England), Cubarsí (Barcelona / Spain), Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France), Cucurella (Chelsea, Real Madrid / Spain), Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich / Colombia), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United / Portugal), Haaland (Manchester City / Norway), Gabriel (Arsenal / Brazil), Kane (Bayern Munich / England), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain / Morocco), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain / Georgia), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain / Brazil), Mané (Al-Nassr / Senegal), Mbappé (Real Madrid / France), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan / Argentina), Messi (Inter Miami / Argentina), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain / Portugal), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain / Portugal), Olise (Bayern Munich / France), Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain / Ecuador), Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah / Mexico), Rice (Arsenal / England), Rodri (Manchester City, Barcelona / Spain), Upamecano (Bayern Munich / France), Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain / Spain), Ferrán Torres (Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona / Spain), Saliba (Arsenal / France), Vinícius Jr. (Real Madrid / Brazil), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain / Portugal)
The Ballon d'Or voting period covers the entire 2025–26 season, from Aug. 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026, including national team tournaments (men's: World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations; women's: Asian Cup and UEFA Women's Nations League finals). The women's Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded on Aug. 16, will be counted towards next year's award.
Following the announcement of the nominees, an international jury of professional sports journalists will cast their votes. The jury consists of one representative journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked men's nations, and one from each of the top 50 women's nations. Each voter selects ten players from the shortlist in order of preference. The first-choice pick receives 15 points, with points decreasing incrementally down to 1 point for the tenth pick. The player with the highest total points will lift the trophy on Oct. 26.
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