Kane, Mbappé lead 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist
Kane, Mbappé lead 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist. Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé are among the leading names on the 2026 Ballon d'Or short list after the nominees for football's most prestigious individual prize were revealed on Tuesday.
What happened
Skip to content Menu Home | Kane, Haaland, Messi on Ballon d’Or shortlist Seven times winner Lionel Messi Image Credits : Reuters SABC News 8 September 2026, 17:56 [SAST] Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi have all made the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or, while Cape Verde’s World Cup hero Vozinha has been nominated for the Yashin award, organisers France Football announced on Tuesday. Kane had a stunning season with Bayern Munich and England, scoring 73 goals for club and country in 65 matches and helped secure a treble of Bundesliga, German Cup, and German Super Cup as well as leading his nation to the World Cup semi-finals.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Harry Kane scored 73 goals last season for club and countryByAlastair TelferBBC Sport journalistPublished6 hours agoBayern Munich striker Harry Kane is one of three England players nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Arsenal's Declan Rice join Kane, the favourite for the award, on the 30-player shortlist. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England)Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid/Spain)Ousmane Dembele (Paris St-Germain/France)Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich/Colombia)Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/Portugal)Gabriel (Arsenal/Brazil)Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway)Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain/Morocco)Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris St-Germain/Georgia)Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr/Senegal)Marquinhos (Paris St-Germain/Brazil)Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan/Argentina)Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/France)Nuno Mendes (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina)Joao Neves (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/France)Willian Pacho (Paris St-Germain/Ecuador)Julian Quinones (Al-Qadsiah/Mexico)Declan Rice (Arsenal/England)Rodri (Barcelona/Spain)Fabian Ruiz (Paris St-Germain/Spain)William Saliba (Arsenal/France)Ferran Torres (Paris St-Germain/Spain)Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/France)Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid/Brazil)Vitinha (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)Figure caption, The Ballon d'Or voting criteria explainedMen's young talent of the year nominationsKerim Alajbegovic (Bayer Leverkusen/Bosnia-Herzegovina)Ayyoub Bouaddi (Man City/France)Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)Yan Diomande (Real Madrid/Ivory Coast)Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich/Germany)Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa/Switzerland)Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen/Algeria)Warren Zaire-Emery (France/Paris St-Germain)Men's goalkeeper of the year nominationsThe heroics of Cape Verde keeper Vozinha were one of the highlights of the 2026 World Cup and, along with Arsenal and Spain stopper David Raya, he is on the list for the men's Ballon d'Or goalkeeper award.
The nominations are:Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal/Morocco)Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)Joan Garcia (Barcelona/Spain)Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund/Switzerland)Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa/Chelsea/Argentina)Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli/Senegal)David Raya (Arsenal/Spain)Matvey Safonov (Paris St-Germain/Russia)Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao/Spain)Vozinha (Colo-Colo/Cape Verde)Men's coach of the year nominationsMikel Arteta (Arsenal)Unai Emery (Aston Villa)Luis Enrique (Paris St-Germain)Luis de la Fuente (Spain)Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich)Men's club of the year nominationsArsenal (England)Bayern Munich (Germany)Bodo/Glimt (Norway)Flamengo (Brazil)Paris St-Germain (France)Related topicsFootballMore on this storyCan Kane buck history and win Ballon d'Or?
Published1 day ago73 goals from dropping deep – we ask Kane to break down how he did itPublished4 days agoRusso and Greenwood nominated for Ballon d'OrPublished6 hours ago
The wider picture
Harry KaneClub: Bayern Munich Country: EnglandOne of the favorites to lift the 2026 Ballon d'Or, Kane scored an astounding 67 goals in 58 games for Bayern Munich last season across all competitions, including 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga games. Kylian MbappéClub: Real Madrid Country: FranceHe may have gone two seasons without winning anything with Real Madrid, but Mbappe hasn't been shy in putting himself forward for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, remarking that this year would be a "good year" for him to win it.
Full 30-player Ballon d'Or Féminin short list Selma BachaClub: OL Lyonnes Country: FranceAs one of the leading left backs in the game, Bacha helped Lyonnes to a domestic treble and another Champions League final, adding 13 assists to help maintain OL Lyonnes' dominance. Haaland netted 58 goals in 64 games for Manchester City and Norway, while eight-times Ballon d’Or winner Messi had 75 goal contributions in 49 matches for Inter Miami and Argentina, who he helped to reached the World Cup final.
Also among those on the shortlist are Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal but not five-times winner Cristiano Ronaldo despite the Portugal forward lifting the Saudi Pro League title with Al-Nassr. The women’s shortlist includes Poland’s Barcelona quadruple-winner Ewa Pajor, Alexia Putellas, who featured for Barca and Spain but has now joined London City Lionesses, and Manchester City’s prolific Jamaica striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw. Cape Verde’s Vozinha was nominated for the Yashin Trophy awarded to the best goalkeeper, with his standout World Cup performances putting him on the 10-man shortlist after he helped his country advance from the tournament’s group stage.
The 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or will be staged in London for the first time at a ceremony on October 26 as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, who won the first Ballon d’Or.
What has been reported
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, who is looking to win his ninth Ballon d'Or, has been nominated. Real Madrid forwards Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr also make the shortlist, as do Arsenal defenders Gabriel and William Saliba. The "symbolic choice of venue" is in tribute to former England player Sir Stanley Matthews, who won the first Ballon d'Or. This could be year I win Ballon d'Or, says MbappePublished1 day agoWhen will Africa get its next Ballon d'Or winner?
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What happens next
The 2026 Ballon d'Or awards — the annual ceremony in which France Football Magazine crowns the best men's and women's players in the world — are fast approaching, with the short list for each award announced on Tuesday. The Ballon d'Or trophies are handed out based on the criteria of: "1) Individual performances, decisive and impressive character, 2) Team performances and achievements, 3) Class and fair play. When is the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, and why isn't it in Paris?
The 2026 Ballon d'Or awards, which have long been presented by France Football Magazine, will be handed out on Oct. The first Ballon d'Or ceremony was a much more humble affair, held in Blackpool, England, and awarded to 41-year-old star forward Stanley Matthews. ""As the Ballon d'Or becomes of septuagenarian age, it is fitting in such a landmark year to celebrate the finest present-day exponents of the beautiful game in the beating heart of the country that first conceived of it," organizers added.
Full 30-player Ballon d'Or short listJude BellinghamClub: Real Madrid Country: EnglandBellingham didn't win a trophy with Real Madrid for the second year running, but the all-action midfielder was an important pillar of England's bronze medal-winning display at the 2026 World Cup.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across sabcnews.com, bbc.co.uk, espn.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.