Ballon d’Or 2026: which club has the most players among the 30 nominees?

PSG have ten players among the 30 contenders, well ahead of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich

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Ballon d’Or 2026: which club has the most players among the 30 nominees?

PSG dominate the 30-man shortlist, while several superstar names and a few unexpected candidates add intrigue to the 2026 edition.

The final list of 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or is now known. As announced at the end of August, France Football unveiled all the contenders for football’s biggest individual prize on September 8. Defending winner Ousmane Dembélé is included and will try to retain his trophy on October 26 in London.

The shortlist contains a few surprises, including Al-Qadisiah forward Julian Quinones, as well as Lionel Messi and Sadio Mané. Most of the expected leading names are also present, including Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Jr., Harry Kane and Vitinha.

The 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or:

Vitinha (PSG)
Vinícius Jr. (Real Madrid)
Ferran Torres (PSG)
Fabián Ruiz (PSG)
Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
William Saliba (Arsenal)
Rodri (FC Barcelona)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Julian Quinones (Al-Qadisiah)
Willian Pacho (PSG)
João Neves (PSG)
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Nuno Mendes (PSG)
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr)
Marquinhos (PSG)
Khvicha Kvaratshkhelia (PSG)
Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona)
Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Gabriel (Arsenal)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich)
Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)
Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid)
Pau Cubarsi (FC Barcelona)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

OUR 2026 MEN'S BALLON D'OR NOMINEES! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/GQFsH5u5lO
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 8, 2026

PSG crush the competition with 10 nominees

Paris Saint-Germain are by far the best-represented club with ten players, exactly one-third of the entire shortlist. Vitinha, Ferran Torres, Fabián Ruiz, Pacho, João Neves, Nuno Mendes, Marquinhos, Kvaratshkhelia, Hakimi and Dembélé all represent the Parisian club.

Behind PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich each have four nominees, while Arsenal and FC Barcelona have three apiece. Together, those five clubs account for 24 of the 30 available places, underlining the influence of teams that played leading roles on the European and international stage. The winner will be revealed in London on October 26 during the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony.