Kane, Bellingham and Rice named among 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees

Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice have been included among the nominees for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or, with Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the 30-player shortlist.

Alessia Russo and Alex Greenwood are among the 30 nominees for the women’s award. The lists were compiled by France Football journalists working with French sports publication L’Équipe.

Sky Sports reports that Kane is the bookmakers’ favourite after scoring 73 goals last season. Other named men’s contenders include Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Bruno Fernandes and Erling Haaland.

Ronaldo was not nominated despite winning the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr. No reason was given for his omission.

The men’s award will be decided by one journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations, while journalists from the top 50 ranked nations will vote for the women’s award.

The 70th ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on 26 October 2026, marking the first time the event will be held outside Paris.