2026 Ballon d'Or 30-player shortlist announced: Kane, Mbappe and Yamal lead contenders, Dembele aims to defend title

The 30-player shortlists for the 2026 men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards were announced by France Football magazine on Tuesday, with the ceremony scheduled for October 26 in London. Last year's men's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe are all among the main contenders.

Men's candidates: Dembele, Mbappe and Kane headline the list

Both Dembele and Mbappe represented France at the World Cup, where the team lost to eventual champions Spain in the semifinals. Mbappe surpassed Messi at the World Cup to become the top scorer in World Cup history, scoring 22 goals while playing fewer matches.

Dembele won the Champions League for a second consecutive time with Paris Saint-Germain, giving him a chance to retain the Ballon d'Or. Kane enjoyed a prolific season, scoring 73 goals in total for club and country and winning the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. He also led England to third place at the World Cup.

Messi included, three former Ballon d'Or winners miss out

The 39-year-old Messi, who has a record eight Ballon d'Or awards, was also included on the shortlist. He led Argentina to a World Cup runner-up finish and won the MLS title with Inter Miami. The other three Ballon d'Or winners who are still playing, Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Modric, were not included.

Paris Saint-Germain have nine players on the men's shortlist. Besides Dembele, they include Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha. In an interview with France Football, Dembele said he believed the trophy would remain at Paris Saint-Germain. When asked to name his personal top three, he mentioned teammate Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbappe, and also named Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Ruiz and Pacho, but did not include himself.

Shortlist distribution: only one Serie A player, no goalkeepers selected

Other men's candidates include Real Madrid star Vinicius, Ferran Torres who scored Spain's winning goal in the World Cup final, Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Italy, the Netherlands and Germany, which failed to qualify for the World Cup, had no players selected. Serie A has only one player on the list, Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez.

There are no goalkeepers on this shortlist, meaning Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d'Or, claiming the award in 1963. In the women's category, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Eva Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are among the leading candidates to replace Aitana Bonmati. Bonmati, the winner of the past three women's Ballon d'Or awards, missed much of this season due to injury and was not included on the shortlist. She returned at the end of Barcelona's season, when the team won a quadruple including the Champions League title.