30 Nominees Named for 2026 Ballon d'Or

Among them are Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid, Erling Haaland from Manchester City, Lamín Yamal and Pau Cubarsí from Barcelona, as well as several players from Paris Saint-Germain, including Ousmane Dembélé, Ashraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Vitinha.

Consensus

France Football published the list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or 2026.
The award ceremony will be held on October 26.
The event will take place in London for the first time, moving from Paris.
Paris Saint-Germain has 10 nominees, setting a new record.
Lionel Messi is among the nominees and has won the Ballon d'Or eight times, a record.
The Ballon d'Or was established in 1956 by France Football.
The award is given to the best footballer of the season.
The list includes players from top European clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Arsenal.

Points of divergence

Messi and Ronaldo will play together in a team. — fontanka
Usman Dembélé is the current holder of the Ballon d'Or. — vesti
The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held in London in honor of Stanley Matthews, the first winner. — fontanka
The Ballon d'Or was founded by Gabriel Ano, and previously only European players were eligible. — kommerant

Coverage (4 sources)

France Football announced 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or award — Вечерняя Москва
Former Rubins player and Messi: all 30 Ballon d'Or nominees revealed — Фонтанка
PSG set a record for the number of nominees for the Golden Ball — Вести
Nominees for the Golden Ball have been announced — Коммерсантъ

30 Nominees Named for 2026 Ballon d'Or

Consensus

Points of divergence

Coverage (4 sources)

Key entities

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