The rollout for the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards has officially begun with the release of the Men's and Women's Club of the Year shortlists.
These initial team nominations precede the main 70th-anniversary ceremony, which is set for Monday, October 26, in London.
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While the annual gala celebrates individual excellence, team performances and the best talent in football.
A few categories have been revealed and other shortlists for the remaining marquee individual categories will continue to roll out incrementally.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Women’s Club of the Year
Five clubs have been shortlisted for the Women’s Club of the Year award.
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Club América
Manchester City
OL Lyonnes
Men’s Club of the Year
The shortlist for the Men’s Club of the Year award also includes five clubs.
The nominees are
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Bodø/Glimt
Flamengo
Paris Saint-Germain
Men’s Coach of the Year
Mikel Arteta — Arsenal
Luis de la Fuente — Spain National Team
Unai Emery — Aston Villa
Vincent Kompany — Bayern Munich
Luis Enrique — Paris Saint-Germain
Women’s Coach of the Year
Jonatan Giráldez– OL Lyonnes
Andrée Jeglertz– Manchester City Women
Nils Nielsen– Japan National Team
Pere Romeu– FC Barcelona Femeni
Elena Sadiku –Celtic FC Women/BK Häcken
Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year
Ann-Katrin Berger– Gotham FC
Cata Coll–FC Barcelona Femeni/Spain
Hannah Hampton– Chelsea FC/England
Lorena–Kansas City Current/Brazil
Ayaka Yamashita– Manchester City Women
2026 Men's Goalkeeper of the Year
Yassine Bounou
Thibaut Courtois
Joan García
Gregor Kobel
Emiliano Martínez
Édouard Mendy
David Raya
Matvey Safonov
Unai Simón
Vozinha
2026 Women's Young Talent of the Year
Veerle Buurman (Chelsea)
Vicky López (FC Barcelona)
Felicia Schröder (BK Häcken / Real Madrid)
Clara Serrajordi (FC Barcelona)
Lily Yohannes (Lyon)
2026 Men's Young Talent of the Year
Kerim Alajbegović (Juventus)
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City)
Pau Cubarsí (FC Barcelona)
Yan Diomandé (Real Madrid)
Lennart Karl (FC Bayern Munich)
Éli Junior Kroupi (AFC Bournemouth)
Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona)
Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa)
Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen)
Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
Nominee lists of Men’s and Women’s Ballon d’Or have not been announced yet.
Aqsa Qaddus Tahir is a reporter dedicated to science coverage, exploring breakthroughs, emerging research, and innovation. Her work centres on making scientific developments understandable and relevant, presenting well-researched stories that connect complex ideas with everyday life in a clear, engaging, and informative manner.