It’s not long now before we discover the men’s Ballon d’Or winner for 2026 — which will be awarded on October 26.Last year it was Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele who lifted football’s most prestigious individual prize. Before him it was Rodri in 2024 and Lionel Messi, for an incredible eighth time, in 2023.The list of 30 candidates for 2026, which includes those three players, was released yesterday (September 8), and can be found below. Crucially, the voting is based on player performances between last August and July. That, of course, includes a World Cup for many of them, and myriad other big games, too.
OUR 2026 MEN'S BALLON D'OR NOMINEES!
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026The 100 journalists who will send in their votes from 1-10 for the final rankings are expected to use three main criteria:
Individual and decisive performances,
Collective achievements and trophies won
