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2026 Ballon d’Or Nominees: Live Updates on 30-Player Shortlist, Harry Kane Favorite

Ousmane Dembélé took home the award in 2025 after a stellar year.
Toby Cudworth|
The Ballon d’Or trophy is the most prestigious individual piece of silverware in world soccer.
The Ballon d’Or trophy is the most prestigious individual piece of silverware in world soccer. | Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The Ballon d’Or is one of the most coveted individual prizes in all of sport, recognizing the best footballers from the past 12 months. Usually a clear favorite has emerged for the prize, but 2026 could be a little different as there’s a few players who will have genuine belief that this year is their year.

The shortlists for the main Ballon d’Or award, the Women’s Ballon d’Or, the Kopa Trophy and a host of other awards are being revealed this Tuesday—follow along with Sports Illustrated as the players in contention are confirmed.

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Toby Cudworth
TOBY CUDWORTH

Toby Cudworth is Lead Editor for SI FC. A Premier League, EFL and UEFA accredited journalist, Cudworth is a graduate of the University of Gloucestershire, where he studied Broadcast Journalism. He previously worked for 90min as a writer, academy manager, editor and eventually content lead, before joining Sports Illustrated in May 2025. A lifelong supporter of West Ham United, he still can’t quite believe they won a European trophy and feels nature is healing now that results have slipped back into the yo-yo patterns of the last 30 years.

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