The 30 Ballon d'Or 2026 nominees unveiled Tuesday, ceremony in London on October 26

France Football will unveil Tuesday the 30 players nominated for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, the first stage of an edition marked by Spain’s world title and PSG’s European double. The information was confirmed by journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 2025-2026 season revolved around two major events. Luis Enrique’s PSG retained the Ligue des Champions on May 30 by beating Arsenal on penalties (1-1, 4-3 aet), with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as the standout performer of the European campaign. But the Georgian did not play in the World Cup, won by Spain against Lionel Messi’s Argentina on July 18 (1-0 aet), which complicates his case for the individual trophy.

Among the expected favorites in the 30-man list: Messi, Kvaratskhelia, world champions Rodri and Lamine Yamal, as well as Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and defending champion Ousmane Dembélé. The lists are drawn up by the editorial teams of L’Équipe and France Football.

The voting format evolves this year: the 100 designated journalists — one per country among the top 100 nations in the FIFA ranking — will now be able to submit a top 10, against a top 5 previously. Voting will close several weeks before the ceremony.

The women’s Ballon d’Or as well as the Kopa, Yachine and Cruyff trophies — the latter rewarding the best coach, introduced last year — will also see their finalists announced in the coming weeks.

The grand ceremony of the 70th Ballon d’Or will be held on October 26 in London, not in Paris as had been the case for many years. This move to the British capital is officially presented as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, the first winner in the trophy’s history, and is part of the partnership forged between the L’Équipe group and UEFA.