The Ballon d'Or has confirmed when it will reveal the nominee lists across its various categories for 2026, firing the starting gun on a new race towards the most prestigious individual honours in football.
All shortlists will be published on 8 September via the official Ballon d'Or website.
Twelve different categories make up the lists, headed by the men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards. Alongside them sit the prizes for best young talents, best goalkeepers, best coaches and best strikers, plus the awards for best men's and women's club.
The number of nominees in each category is as follows:
Men's Ballon d'Or: 30 players.
Women's Ballon d'Or: 30 players.
Best young talent for men: 10 players.
Best young talent for women: 5 players.
Best goalkeeper for men: 10 goalkeepers.
Best goalkeeper for women: 5 goalkeepers.
Best coach for men: 5 coaches.
Best coach for women: 5 coaches.
Best striker for men: 10 strikers.
Best striker for women: 5 strikers.
Best men's club: 5 clubs.
Best women's club: 5 clubs.
London hosts the 2026 ceremony on 26 October, an exceptional edition marking the 70th anniversary of the award's launch.
The move takes the ceremony away from the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, home to the award since 2019, and into the English capital as a tribute to the first player ever crowned with the Ballon d'Or, the English legend Sir Stanley Matthews.
An international panel of specialist journalists will determine the winners. Each voter selects the best 10 players from the shortlist, judging them on individual performance, collective achievements and titles, along with sportsmanship.
France's Ousmane Dembélé claimed the 2025 Ballon d'Or, the Paris Saint-Germain star outshining his rivals after an exceptional season with the French club.
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