Mbappé, Vini Jr., Bellingham, and Cucurella are among the 30 candidates for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, awarded by the magazine France Football. The nominees were selected based on their achievements during the 2025/26 season.

Mbappé was the top scorer in the League (25 goals) and the Champions League (15) before competing in the World Cup with France, where he won the Golden Boot by scoring ten goals. Vini Jr. and Bellingham also stood out with their national teams in the World Cup, scoring 4 and 7 goals respectively. The Brazilian recorded 22 goals and 9 assists with Real Madrid last season, while the Englishman contributed 8 goals and 2 assists. Meanwhile, Cucurella joined our team from Chelsea after playing a key role in Spain's World Cup victory.

The other nominees are: Cubarsí, Ousmane Dembélé, Luis Díaz, Bruno Fernandes, Gabriel Magalhães, Haaland, Hakimi, Kane, Kvaratskhelia, Lamine Yamal, Mané, Marquinhos, Lautaro, Nuno Mendes, Messi, João Neves, Olise, Willian Pacho, Quiñones, Declan Rice, Rodri, Fabián, Saliba, Ferran Torres, Upamecano, and Vitinha.

The winner will be announced at the Ballon d'Or gala, which will celebrate its 70th edition with a ceremony in London on October 26. The winner will be chosen by an international jury of specialized journalists, with one representative from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.