The football calendar is entering its final stretch of 2026 – and so is the race for the biggest individual prize in the game.The 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or have now been revealed, with Ousmane Dembele looking to retain the trophy after another outstanding year. The Paris Saint-Germain forward has a Champions League triumph and another Ligue 1 title to his name, giving him a strong starting position.But this could be one of the most open votes in years.OUR 2026 MEN'S BALLON D'OR NOMINEES! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/GQFsH5u5lO— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026 Dembele's biggest issue may be the World Cup. France fell short of the ultimate prize, while Spain conquered the world, making their key players Rodri, Lamine Yamal and Fabian Ruiz serious contenders. The tournament was arguably the defining football event of the calendar year, and that could heavily influence the final vote.Harry Kane and Michael Olise also enjoyed outstanding individual campaigns with Bayern Munich, while Lionel Messi once again showed his brilliance on the biggest stage, carrying Argentina all the way to the World Cup final.The rest of the 30-man shortlist features Jude Bellingham, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella, Luis Diaz, Bruno Fernandes, Erling Haaland, Gabriel, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos, Sadio Mane, Lautaro Martinez, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho, Declan Rice, Julian Quinones, Ferran Torres, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Vinicius Junior and Vitinha.Nominated for the 2026 Ballon d’Or ⬇️Lionel Messi@InterMiamiCF@Argentina#ballondor pic.twitter.com/CxxIMyGlIQ— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026 For the fourth consecutive year, there is no Cristiano Ronaldo on the shortlist. His absence is being linked to Portugal's disappointing World Cup campaign, while Messi's run to the final with Argentina was enough to earn him another place among the nominees.There are, however, some eyebrow-raising inclusions. It is difficult to see how Julian Quinones, Dayot Upamecano or Vinicius Junior made the final 30 after relatively unremarkable years by their standards.##NAJAVA_MECA_9945940##The winner will be announced on October 26 in London rather than the traditional Paris ceremony. The change marks the Ballon d'Or's 70th anniversary and returns the award to the city where the inaugural trophy was presented to England legend Stanley Matthews by France Football journalists.Four Spaniards in Coach of the Year shortlistSpain also dominates the shortlist for the Coach of the Year award, with four Spanish candidates joined by Belgium's Vincent Kompany.Luis Enrique is looking to retain the prize after leading PSG to back-to-back Champions League titles and another Ligue 1 crown. Kompany, meanwhile, guided Bayern Munich to a domestic treble.The other nominees are Mikel Arteta, who restored Arsenal to the English throne, World Cup-winning Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and Unai Emery, who delivered the Europa League trophy to Aston Villa while also guiding the Birmingham club to fourth place in the Premier League.Nominated for the 2026 Men's Goal Keeper of the Year ⬇️Vozinha@gdchaves1949@ColoColo@fcfcomunica pic.twitter.com/AbqCo6lsx4— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026 Three African keepers make historyThe Yashin Trophy shortlist has been reduced to 10 goalkeepers, with three African representatives making the cut for the first time.The nominees are Yassine Bounou (Morocco, Al Hilal), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium, Real Madrid), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland, Borussia Dortmund), Joan Garcia (Spain, Barcelona), Emiliano Martinez (Argentina, Aston Villa/Chelsea), Vozinha (Cape Verde, Chaves/Colo-Colo), David Raya (Spain, Arsenal), Matvey Safonov (Russia, Monaco), Unai Simon (Spain, Athletic Bilbao) and Edouard Mendy (Senegal, Al Ahli).Nominated for the 2026 Ballon d’Or ⬇️Lamine Yamal@FCBarcelona@SEFutbol#ballondor pic.twitter.com/RlpDdY675f— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026 Yamal leads the next generationThe Kopa Trophy shortlist for the best young player also features a strong international field.Kerim Alajbegovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Salzburg/Juventus), Ayoub Bouaddi (Morocco, Lille/Manchester City), Pau Cubarsi (Spain, Barcelona), Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast, RB Leipzig/Real Madrid), Lennart Karl (Germany, Bayern Munich), Eli Junior Kroupi (France, Bournemouth), Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona), Johan Manzambi (Switzerland, Freiburg/Aston Villa), Ibrahim Maza (Algeria, Bayer Leverkusen) and Warren Zaire-Emery (France, PSG) are all in contention.##NAJAVA_MECA_9946125##
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