ONE TOUCH INSIGHT
Harry Kane should walk away with the 2026 Ballon d'Or. His 73-goal season for club and country outstrips any rival's raw output, making him the clear favourite on the shortlist.
Playing for Bayern Munich, Kane's tally dwarfs the contributions of Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Arsenal's Declan Rice, neither of whom reached that goal mark. Lionel Messi, at 39, managed only eight goals as Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain, and while Paris St-Germain place nine players on the list, none match Kane's striking output. The award, marking its 70th year since France Football launched it in 1956, will be presented in London in tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews.
The award will be announced on 26 October in London; Kane's 73-goal season will be the measure against which voters judge the other contenders.
Harry Kane
ST
England
Harry Kane scored 73 goals last season for club and country
By Alastair Telfer
BBC Sport journalist
- Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is one of three England players nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Arsenal's Declan Rice join Kane, the favourite for the award, on the 30-player shortlist.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, who is looking to win his ninth Ballon d'Or, has been nominated.
The 39-year-old scored eight goals as Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain in July, with Messi since retiring from international football.
Lamine Yamal is one of six Spain players that won the World Cup to be included.
Having scored the winning goal in the final, Paris St-Germain forward Ferran Torres, who joined the French club from Barcelona in the summer, makes the cut.
Back-to-back Champions League winners Paris St-Germain have nine players - excluding new signing Torres - nominated, including last year's winner Ousmane Dembele.
Real Madrid forwards Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr also make the shortlist, as do Arsenal defenders Gabriel and William Saliba.
The award is celebrating its 70th anniversary, having been created by France Football in 1956, and the winner will be announced at an ceremony in London on 26 October.
The "symbolic choice of venue" is in tribute to former England player Sir Stanley Matthews, who won the first Ballon d'Or.
What information do we collect from this quiz?
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Who are the 2026 Ballon d'Or contenders?
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Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/England)
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Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)
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Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid/Spain)
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Ousmane Dembele (Paris St-Germain/France)
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Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich/Colombia)
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Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/Portugal)
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Gabriel (Arsenal/Brazil)
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Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway)
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Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain/Morocco)
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Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/England)
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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris St-Germain/Georgia)
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Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
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Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr/Senegal)
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Marquinhos (Paris St-Germain/Brazil)
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Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan/Argentina)
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Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/France)
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Nuno Mendes (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)
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Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina)
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Joao Neves (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)
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Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/France)
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Willian Pacho (Paris St-Germain/Ecuador)
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Julian Quinones (Al-Qadsiah/Mexico)
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Declan Rice (Arsenal/England)
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Rodri (Barcelona/Spain)
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Fabian Ruiz (Paris St-Germain/Spain)
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William Saliba (Arsenal/France)
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Ferran Torres (Paris St-Germain/Spain)
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Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/France)
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Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid/Brazil)
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Vitinha (Paris St-Germain/Portugal)
Figure caption,
The Ballon d'Or voting criteria explained
Men's young talent of the year nominations
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Kerim Alajbegovic (Bayer Leverkusen/Bosnia-Herzegovina)
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Ayyoub Bouaddi (Man City/France)
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Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona/Spain)
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Yan Diomande (Real Madrid/Ivory Coast)
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Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich/Germany)
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Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
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Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)
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Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa/Switzerland)
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Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen/Algeria)
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Warren Zaire-Emery (France/Paris St-Germain)
Men's goalkeeper of the year nominations
The heroics of Cape Verde keeper Vozinha were one of the highlights of the 2026 World Cup and, along with Arsenal and Spain stopper David Raya, he is on the list for the men's Ballon d'Or goalkeeper award. The nominations are:
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Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal/Morocco)
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Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
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Joan Garcia (Barcelona/Spain)
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Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund/Switzerland)
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Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa/Chelsea/Argentina)
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Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli/Senegal)
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David Raya (Arsenal/Spain)
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Matvey Safonov (Paris St-Germain/Russia)
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Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao/Spain)
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Vozinha (Colo-Colo/Cape Verde)
Men's coach of the year nominations
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Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
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Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
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Luis Enrique (Paris St-Germain)
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Luis de la Fuente (Spain)
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Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich)
Men's club of the year nominations
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Arsenal (England)
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Bayern Munich (Germany)
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Bodo/Glimt (Norway)
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Flamengo (Brazil)
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Paris St-Germain (France)
AI-assisted · generated from BBC Sport reporting, not editor reviewed
