Nigeria will be without a representative at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony for the first time in three years as the winner of football’s prestigious individual award is announced at the London Palladium on Monday.
England captain Harry Kane, Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe are among the leading contenders for the award, which will be presented at the 70th edition of the ceremony.
No Nigerian appears on the men’s shortlist, the women’s list or any of the other award categories.
The ceremony begins at 8pm in London, corresponding to 9pm in Nigeria, and will be hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry. It is the first time the event has been staged outside Paris.
Two Nigerian forwards, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, are notable absentees after their contributions to the Super Eagles’ campaign at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The pair scored seven of Nigeria’s 14 goals at the tournament and finished among its four leading scorers.
Osimhen also recorded 30 goal contributions across all competitions during the 2025/26 season, while Lookman registered 12 goals and six assists.
However, the assessment period for this year’s award ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, the date of the World Cup final.
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Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the tournament meant the country had no representation on football’s biggest international stage during the assessment period.
The omission ends a brief but notable run of Nigerian representation among the award’s nominees.
Osimhen finished eighth in 2023 after helping Napoli win the Serie A title with a prolific campaign. In 2024, Lookman placed 14th after scoring a hat-trick in Atalanta’s Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen and delivering an impressive Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
Last year, Nigeria’s recognition came through the women’s game, with Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie earning nominations after the team defeated hosts Morocco 3-2 in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final to claim a record-extending 10th continental title.
Madugu was nominated for the Women’s Team Coach of the Year award, while Nnadozie was shortlisted for the Yashin Trophy. Both finished fourth in their respective categories in Paris.
Africa has only one representative on the 30-man men’s shortlist this year, Al Nassr forward Sadio Mané.
Paris Saint-Germain dominate the nominations with 10 players, including defending champion Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal also have several nominees.
Arsenal’s Gabriel, Declan Rice and William Saliba form the largest Premier League contingent, while Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes are the other players from England’s top flight on the list.
Lionel Messi, an eight-time winner, is also nominated after a strong World Cup campaign.
Kane enters the ceremony following a remarkable season in which he captained England to third place at the World Cup. A victory would make him the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
Yamal, meanwhile, helped Spain win the World Cup after defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra time. The 19-year-old, who also won the European Championship in 2024, finished second to Dembele last year and is pursuing a third consecutive Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best player under 21.
Rodri, who now plays for Barcelona, is also among the 30 nominees after winning the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player.
Mbappe is another leading contender after winning top-scorer awards in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup, despite not winning a major trophy. His Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior are also nominated.
The winner will be determined by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s rankings, with each voter ranking their top 10 players. The criteria include individual performance, team achievements, and class and fair play.
The ceremony also presents a scheduling challenge for PSG, whose Ligue 1 fixture against Lyon has been moved to Monday evening.
Injured Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among those available to attend the ceremony because they will miss the match.
For Nigerian football fans, the event will be watched from the sidelines, highlighting how quickly a period of global recognition can end when a national team misses the World Cup stage.
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