Paris Saint-Germain set Ballon d’Or record with 10 nominees

Paris Saint-Germain have made history in the Ballon d’Or after becoming the first club to have 10 players nominated for the award in a single year.

France Football, in collaboration with UEFA, announced the full list of nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or on Tuesday evening. The prize is awarded to the best player in the world.

PSG’s 10 nominees are Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Ferran Torres.

Torres spent the whole of last season with Barcelona before joining the French club this summer, but his nomination is included among PSG’s representatives.

The French champions’ unprecedented presence on the shortlist strengthens their hopes of producing the winner for a second successive year. Dembele won the award last year after being nominated during PSG’s previous record-breaking campaign.

According to statistics outlet Squawka, no other club in the history of the Ballon d’Or has had 10 players nominated in the same year.

PSG have surpassed their own previous record of nine nominees, set last year. Their dominance comes after a highly successful season in which they retained the UEFA Champions League title for a second consecutive campaign.

The Paris club also won the UEFA Super Cup and the Ligue 1 title, adding to the honours that helped place so many of their players among the leading candidates for the individual award.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 October.

The full list of nominees was released by France Football and UEFA as part of the announcements for this year’s awards. PSG’s representation includes defenders Hakimi, Marquinhos, Mendes and Pacho, midfielders Neves, Ruiz and Vitinha, forward players Dembele and Kvaratskhelia, and Torres.

The record underlines the strength of the squad following its success in Europe and domestically. PSG’s previous best total of nine nominees was already the highest number recorded by a single club, but the 2026 shortlist has taken that mark to 10.

Dembele remains the club’s most recent Ballon d’Or winner, having claimed the prize after last year’s nominations. PSG will now hope that one of its 10 candidates can retain the award for the club when the winner is revealed in the English capital.

The news and the wider Ballon d’Or debate can also be discussed in greater depth on the Kooora forums.