Ballon d’Or: Osimhen, Lookman miss 2026 shortlist
Nigeria will have no representative among the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards, ending a three-year run of Nigerian involvement as football’s most prestigious individual honours are presented in London on Monday.
The 70th edition of the ceremony is scheduled for 8 pm in London (9 pm Nigerian time) at the London Palladium. It marks the first time the event will be held outside Paris.
Abimbola Joseph
Nigeria will have no representative among the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards, ending a three-year run of Nigerian involvement as football’s most prestigious individual honours are presented in London on Monday.
The 70th edition of the ceremony is scheduled for 8 pm in London (9 pm Nigerian time) at the London Palladium. It marks the first time the event will be held outside Paris.
Among the leading contenders for the men’s award are Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé, while defending champion Ousmane Dembélé is also among the 30 nominees.
Nigeria’s absence is particularly notable given the performances of Super Eagles forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during the assessment period, which ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026.
Osimhen and Lookman scored seven of Nigeria’s 14 goals at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and finished among the tournament’s 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, Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup may have weakened their prospects, with performances at major international tournaments forming part of the assessment.
Osimhen finished eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings after helping Napoli win the Serie A title. Lookman placed 14th in 2024 after scoring a hat-trick in Atalanta’s Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
Nigeria’s representation last year came through the women’s game. Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie were nominated after Nigeria won a record-extending 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title, defeating hosts Morocco 3–2 in the final. Madugu was shortlisted for the Women’s Team Coach of the Year award, while Nnadozie was nominated for the Yashin Trophy. Both finished fourth in their respective categories.
Africa’s sole representative on the men’s shortlist is Senegal forward Sadio Mané, who plays for Al Nassr.
Paris Saint-Germain have the strongest presence on the 30-man shortlist, with 10 nominees, including Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal also have multiple nominees.
Kane is among the leading contenders after captaining England to third place at the World Cup. A victory would make him the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Yamal, meanwhile, is seeking to build on his growing reputation after helping Spain win the World Cup. The teenager finished second to Dembélé last year and is also competing for a third consecutive Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best player under 21.
Mbappé is another contender, having won individual top-scorer honours in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup, despite not winning a major team trophy during the assessment period.
The men’s award is decided by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s world rankings. Each voter ranks 10 players based on individual performances, team achievements, class and fair play.
For Nigerian football fans, the absence of a nominee marks a setback after recent years of recognition and highlights the challenge of sustaining global visibility without success on football’s biggest international stage.
