Ballon d’Or organisers set 8 September date for 2026 nominee reveal

The 2026 Ballon d’Or nominee lists will be announced on 8 September, with the names of contenders in all 12 award categories to be published on the prize’s official website.

The announcement will mark the formal start of the race for the most prestigious individual honours in football, with the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or among the headline awards.

The categories will also recognise emerging players, goalkeepers, coaches, forwards and clubs in both the men’s and women’s game. The number of nominees in each section will be:

– Men’s Ballon d’Or: 30 players – Women’s Ballon d’Or: 30 players – Men’s best young player: 10 players – Women’s best young player: five players – Men’s best goalkeeper: 10 goalkeepers – Women’s best goalkeeper: five goalkeepers – Men’s best coach: five coaches – Women’s best coach: five coaches – Men’s best forward: 10 forwards – Women’s best forward: five forwards – Men’s best club: five clubs – Women’s best club: five clubs

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on 26 October in London. This year’s event will be a landmark edition, as the award celebrates the 70th anniversary of its creation.

It will also be the first ceremony since 2019 to be held away from the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. The move to the English capital is intended to honour Sir Stanley Matthews, the England great who became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or.

The winners will be selected by an international panel of specialist football journalists. Each voter will choose their top 10 players from the relevant shortlist.

Voting will be based on a combination of individual performances, team achievements and trophies, as well as the conduct and sporting values demonstrated by the candidates.

The men’s 2025 Ballon d’Or was won by Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele. The France international finished ahead of his rivals after producing an exceptional campaign with the French club.

The announcement of the 2026 lists on 8 September will therefore provide the first official indication of which players, coaches and clubs are in contention to succeed the current winners across the 12 categories.

The ceremony’s move to London gives this year’s awards an additional historical significance, linking the anniversary celebrations with the legacy of Matthews, whose place in Ballon d’Or history began with the inaugural edition of the prize.