Mexican Soccer Makes History With Record Number of Ballon d’Or Nominations

It was a landmark day for Mexican soccer as Julián Quiñones, Scarlett Camberos and Club América Femeníl were all included in the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist of nominees.

The full list of nominees for the 2026 Men’s and Women’s Ballon d’Or awards were officially announced on Tuesday, and for the first time ever, two Mexican players and a Mexican club featured on the list of the most prestigious awards ceremony in the sport.

One has to go all the way back to 2007 to find the most recent Mexican Ballon d’Or nominee. A then 22-year-old goalkeeper by the name of Guillermo Ochoa finished 30th in the list of Men’s Ballon d‘Or votes, but his stellar performances for América in the Copa Libertadores and the Mexico national team saw him become the first and only Mexican player in history to enter the top-30 of nominees—until now.

Other players such as Rafael Márquez, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Andrés Guardado and Giovanni Dos Santos also featured in preliminary Ballon d’Or lists during their career but were never included in the shortlist of 30.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or awards mark the first-ever edition with three representatives tied to Mexican soccer. A simply historic day for soccer in the nation.

Julián Quiñones: From Fringe Mexico Player to Ballon d’Or Nominee

It was unquestionably surprising to see Quiñones included in the list of men’s Ballon d’Or nominees given he doesn’t play in Europe. However, what he did at the club level with Al Qadsiah and with Mexico at the World Cup merited recognition.

Quiñones was the main man for Al Qadsiah in 2025–26 and although he couldn’t lead his side to the title, he won the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot award, bagging 33 goals in 31 games to beat Ivan Toney and Cristiano Ronaldo as the league’s top goalscorer.

Then came the summer, where Quiñones delivered one of the greatest individual performances by a Mexico international in World Cup history. The 29-year-old had not been a guarantee to make Mexico’s roster, but strong showings in March convinced Javier Aguirre to include him in the squad.

Quiñones stole the show with El Tri, scoring four goals in the 2026 World Cup to match the joint=highest output from a Mexico international in a single World Cup campaign. Two of his goals came during the knockout rounds, and he also added an assist to his fairytale summer.

A brilliant World Cup and a prolific campaign in Saudi have been rewarded with a nomination for the highest honor, adding another impressive accolade to his resumé as one of the best Mexican players of his generation.

Scarlett Camberos Makes History With Ballon d’Or Nomination

Scarlett Camberos now holds the prestigious honor of being the first Mexican player in history to be nominated for the Women’s Ballon d’Or.

The 25-year-old attacker is the best player in Liga MX Femeníl and was the driving force behind Club América Femenil’s charge to the Clausura 2026 title. In the last year, she featured in 47 games and registered 27 goals and 17 assists.

But her masterpiece came in the Concacaf Champions Cup, scoring a hat-trick in the semifinals against Gotham City and having a hat-trick of assists in the final against Washington Spirit—two of the best NWSL teams—for América to conquer their first continental title.

Camberos’s Ballon d’Or nomination is a landmark moment for women’s soccer in Mexico.

Club América Femenil Makes Ballon d’Or History

Club América Femeníl — Club América Femenil had the greatest season ever by a Mexican club. | Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images

Club América Femenil became the first women’s or men’s Liga MX team in history to be nominated for the club of the year award in the Ballon d’Or awards.

Furthermore, América Femenil are the first women’s team outside of Europe and the U.S. to be nominated for the prestigious award. Las Águilas are the winningest side in Liga MX history, and now their women’s team are also trailblazers.

With Camberos leading the way, América Femeníl won three trophies this year, returning to the summit of Liga MX with the Clausura 2026 title and then beating Tigres in the Campeón de Campeones—essentially a Super Cup between the last two Liga MX Femenil champions.

But their biggest win came when they defeated Washington Spirit 5–3 to become the first Mexican team to win the Women’s Champions Cup, a momentous victory that highlighted the growth of women’s soccer in Mexico.

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