Mbappe and Messi among Ballon d’Or nominees as Ronaldo and Salah miss out

France Football, in collaboration with UEFA, has announced the full list of nominees for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or, with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi included among the contenders while Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah are absent.

The winner of the world’s leading individual football award will be revealed at a ceremony in London on 26 October. It will be the first time the Ballon d’Or ceremony has been held in the English capital.

The event will also honour the winners of the other Ballon d’Or categories, including the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper, the Kopa Trophy for the best young player, the awards for the best coach and best club, and several other individual prizes. The complete nominee lists for all categories have also been released.

The nominations recognise players who impressed during the previous season, either for their clubs or at the 2026 World Cup.

Mbappe, the Real Madrid and France forward, is among the leading candidates, as is Messi, captain of Inter Miami and Argentina. Spain midfielder Rodri is also listed among the main contenders. The announcement describes him as having moved from Manchester City to Barcelona, while the published nominee list identifies him as a Manchester City player.

Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal is another prominent name on the list. Fabian Ruiz is also nominated after combining Champions League and World Cup success with Paris Saint-Germain and Spain.

The list includes the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain and France.

There are also nominations for two players from the Saudi Pro League: Sadio Mane of Al-Nassr and Julian Quinones, the Al-Qadsiah forward and Mexico international.

However, several high-profile players who have regularly featured among the candidates in recent years have been left out. They include Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Al-Nassr and Portugal, and Mohamed Salah, who is identified as a former Liverpool player and current Trabzon player, as well as captain of Egypt.

Barcelona and Brazil forward Raphinha and Barcelona midfielder Pedri, who represents Spain, are also absent from the shortlist.

The complete list of 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or nominees is:

– Jude Bellingham Real Madrid, England – Pau Cubarsi Barcelona, Spain – Marc Cucurella Chelsea, Spain – Ousmane Dembele Paris Saint-Germain, France – Luis Diaz Bayern Munich, Colombia – Bruno Fernandes Manchester United, Portugal – Gabriel Arsenal, Brazil – Erling Haaland Manchester City, Norway – Achraf Hakimi Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco – Harry Kane Bayern Munich, England – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Paris Saint-Germain, Georgia – Lamine Yamal Barcelona, Spain – Sadio Mane Al-Nassr, Senegal – Marquinhos Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil – Lautaro Martinez Inter Milan, Argentina – Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid, France – Nuno Mendes Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal – Lionel Messi Inter Miami, Argentina – Joao Neves Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal – Michael Olise Bayern Munich, France – Willian Pacho Paris Saint-Germain, Ecuador – Julian Quinones Al-Qadsiah, Mexico – Declan Rice Arsenal, England – Rodri Manchester City, Spain – Fabian Ruiz Paris Saint-Germain, Spain – William Saliba Arsenal, France – Ferran Torres Barcelona, Spain – Dayot Upamecano Bayern Munich, France – Vinicius Junior Real Madrid, Brazil – Vitinha Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal

The nominees were announced on Tuesday evening, ahead of the ceremony at which the winner will be crowned in London on 26 October. France Football and UEFA promoted the announcement through the official Ballon d’Or social media channels, while supporters were also invited to discuss the nominations and wider football news in the Kooora forums.