The 30 candidates for the 2026 Ballon d'Or: six Spaniards, Messi returns, and two major absences

The race to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or has begun. The French specialist magazine France Football has officially announced the 30 candidates to take home the award next October 26 , and the list notably includes Spaniards—six in total—as well as the return of Messi and the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo .

'One of the big new developments is the return of Messi as a candidate. The Argentine star had not been among the favorites since 2023, the year in which he won his eighth and most recent Ballon d'Or (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023). The "10" returns to this list after leading Argentina all the way to a World Cup final, where they ultimately lost to Spain.'

The big absences from the list are Pedri and Raphinha, champions of La Liga and the Super Cup with Barça , also adding the World Cup in the case of the Canary Islander. Also not on this list of 30 candidates are Cristiano Ronaldo , who has won this award five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), but who has not been among the favorites since 2022, and other players such as Salah , fourth last year, or Doué , who won everything this season with PSG .

This year's award will bring an important new development, as it will be the first time it is presented outside Paris. In 2026 it will take place in London in tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews , the footballer who won it in 1956 . It will therefore mark the 70th anniversary of the prestigious award.

Full list of 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or

Jude Bellingham - Real Madrid

Pau Cubarsí - FC Barcelona

Marc Cucurella - Real Madrid

Bruno Fernandes - Manchester United

Erling Haaland - Manchester City

Gabriel Magalhães - Arsenal

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - PSG

Lamine Yamal - FC Barcelona

Kylian Mbappé - Real Madrid

Lionel Messi - Inter Miami

Julian Quiñones - Al-Qadisiyah

Rodri Hernández - FC Barcelona