Only Two African Players Nominated for 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or

Only two African players have been named among the 30 nominees for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or, a drop from the three African players who made the shortlist in 2025.

The two African representatives are Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Senegal’s Sadio Mane. Hakimi earned his nomination after helping Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League and leading Morocco to the Africa Cup of Nations title. Mane’s inclusion follows his performances for Al-Nassr and the Senegal national team.

The absence of other African stars comes despite strong individual campaigns from players across the continent. Africa’s representation in the men’s category has now dropped by one compared to the previous year.

Full List of 2026 Men’s Ballon d’Or Nominees

The 30 nominees are as follows:

· Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England)
· Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)
· Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid/Spain)
· Ousmane Dembele (PSG/France)
· Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich/Colombia)
· Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/Portugal)
· Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal/Brazil)
· Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway)
· Achraf Hakimi (PSG/Morocco) — African representative
· Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)
· Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG/Georgia)
· Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
· Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr/Senegal) — African representative
· Marquinhos (PSG/Brazil)
· Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan/Argentina)
· Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/France)
· Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina)
· Nuno Mendes (PSG/Portugal)
· Joao Neves (PSG/Portugal)
· Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/France)
· Willian Pacho (PSG/Ecuador)
· Julian Quinones (Al Qadsiah/Mexico)
· Declan Rice (Arsenal/England)
· Rodri (Barcelona/Spain)
· Fabian Ruiz (PSG/Spain)
· William Saliba (Arsenal/France)
· Ferran Torres (PSG/Spain)
· Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/France)
· Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid/Brazil)
· Vitinha (PSG/Portugal)

PSG dominate the shortlist with eight players, while Bayern Munich and Real Madrid also have strong representation.

Other African Nominees in Other Categories

Three African goalkeepers have been nominated for the Yashin Trophy: Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, Senegal’s Edouard Mendy and Cape Verde’s Vozinha. In the men’s young talent category, Côte d’Ivoire’s Yan Diomande and Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza are among the nominees. In the women’s category, Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga are nominated.

The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on October 26, 2026, in London.

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