Kane, Mbappé and Yamal among 30 nominees as Dembélé eyes back-to-back Ballon d'Or

France Football unveiled its 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist on Tuesday, with the winners set to be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 October. Defending champion Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal headline a list shaped heavily by the 2026 World Cup and PSG’s Champions League triumph.

Dembélé arrives as the favourite after becoming the first player to retain the award since Lionel Messi’s peak years, and he has the weight of club success behind him: PSG claimed a second consecutive Champions League title this season. Nine PSG players in total made the shortlist, including Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho. In an interview with France Football, Dembélé was unequivocal about where he expects the trophy to stay. “I don’t think the trophy is undecided. I think it will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player,” he said, naming Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbappé as his personal top three.

Kane produced one of the most prolific individual seasons in recent memory, scoring 73 goals for club and country, winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and leading England to a third-place finish at the World Cup. Mbappé, meanwhile, made history at the tournament by surpassing Messi’s all-time World Cup goals record, reaching 22 in fewer appearances — though France fell to eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals.

At 39, Messi earned his place on the shortlist after guiding Argentina to the World Cup final and winning MLS with Inter Miami. His eight Ballon d’Or titles remain a record, but three other former winners — Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric — did not make the cut.

Ferran Torres, who scored Spain’s winning goal in the World Cup final, is also nominated, as are Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan is the sole Serie A representative, while Italy, Germany and the Netherlands have no nominees at all — a reflection of their World Cup absences or early exits.

In the women’s competition, Aitana Bonmatí — winner of the past three awards — did not make the shortlist after missing most of the season through injury, despite returning for the end of Barcelona’s quadruple-winning campaign. Two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are among those in contention to succeed her.

No goalkeeper was nominated, meaning Lev Yashin remains the only keeper ever to win the Ballon d’Or, a distinction he has held since 1963.