Ballon d’Or 2026: One Club Has Taken Over the Nominees’ List

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Ballon d’Or 2026: One Club Has Taken Over the Nominees’ List

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Ballon d’Or 2026: See the Clubs Dominating the 30-Man Shortlist

FULL LIST: The Clubs With the Most Ballon d’Or Nominees

Ballon d’Or 2026: PSG Leads as 30 Stars Battle for Top Prize

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Ballon d’Or 2026: One Club Has Taken Over the Nominees’ List

The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has taken another step forward after France Football unveiled the 30-man shortlist for the prestigious individual award.

The nominees were announced on Tuesday, September 8, with the winner set to be crowned at a ceremony in London on October 26. The 2026 edition will be particularly significant as the Ballon d’Or celebrates its 70th anniversary and the ceremony moves outside Paris for the first time.

Paris Saint-Germain dominate the shortlist, with 10 players connected to the club making the final 30. They include reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Willian Pacho, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha and Ferran Torres.

Nine of those players were part of PSG’s squad during the 2025/26 season, while Torres joined the French champions during the summer. PSG also became the first club to have 10 players represented on a single Ballon d’Or shortlist.

The French champions’ strong showing comes after another remarkable campaign in which they retained the UEFA Champions League. Dembélé is also attempting to defend the award he won in 2025.

Clubs with the most 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees

Paris Saint-Germain – 10

– Ousmane Dembélé
– Achraf Hakimi
– Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
– Marquinhos
– Nuno Mendes
– João Neves
– Willian Pacho
– Fabián Ruiz
– Vitinha
– Ferran Torres

Bayern Munich – 4

– Harry Kane
– Luis Díaz
– Michael Olise
– Dayot Upamecano

Arsenal – 3

– Gabriel Magalhães
– Declan Rice
– William Saliba

Barcelona – 3

– Pau Cubarsí
– Lamine Yamal
– Rodri

Real Madrid – 3

– Jude Bellingham
– Kylian Mbappé
– Vinicius Jr.

Other clubs represented on the shortlist include Manchester City, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Inter Miami, Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah.

Full 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist

Jude Bellingham, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella, Ousmane Dembélé, Luis Díaz, Bruno Fernandes, Gabriel Magalhães, Erling Haaland, Achraf Hakimi, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lamine Yamal, Sadio Mané, Marquinhos, Kylian Mbappé, Lautaro Martínez, Nuno Mendes, Lionel Messi, Michael Olise, João Neves, Julián Quiñones, Willian Pacho, Declan Rice, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, William Saliba, Ferran Torres, Dayot Upamecano, Vitinha and Vinicius Jr.

Among the biggest names on the list are eight-time winner Lionel Messi, Mbappé, Haaland, Kane, Yamal and Rodri. Messi returns to the shortlist after being absent from the previous two editions, while Cristiano Ronaldo is not among the nominees.

The final winner will be announced in London on October 26, when one of the 30 nominees will succeed Dembélé as the world’s top men’s footballer.

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