The 30-man shortlist for Ballon d’Or nominations has been released, containing some of the best footballers on the planet today. One of these 30 nominees will be crowned the best player of 2026 by France Football.
However, with nominations also come exclusions, some of which are surprising, to say the least. In assembling the list of 30 best footballers on earth in the past year, there have been some big-name omissions from the list as well, some of them even being touted as potential Ballon d’Or winners.
Today, we will look at some of the most surprising omissions from the Ballon d’Or 2026 nominations list. Some of them were expected to challenge for the trophy this year; some have won it in the past, while others might win it in the future.
Ballon d’Or 2026 Nominee Exclusions
First up is Pedri. The Spanish midfielder has arguably been among the best players in his position this year. The 23-year-old played a massive role in FC Barcelona’s recent success.
A cornerstone of the tiki-taka style that his club and country play and win with, his box-to-box play and ability to make incisive passes might not show up on stat sheets but do make him one of the best midfielders in the world.
Next up is Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka. The 25-year-old did have a reduced goal and assist output in the 2025-26 season but still played a massive role in Arsenal’s first league title win in 22 years.
Despite hardly showing up on the stat sheet and despite being a forward, he was among the best chance creators in the Premier League over the past year and definitely deserved a Ballon d’Or shout.
Arguably the most surprising omission from the nominee list was Raphinha. The Barcelona forward finished fifth on the Ballon d’Or 2025 list, with many suggesting that he should have won the award.
His output might have dropped in an injury-riddled 2025-26 season, but his 21 goals and eight assists in 33 games across all competitions were still vital in Barca winning three trophies. His not even being nominated just a year after almost finishing in the top three is a sharp decline in, if not his form, then his public perception.
Martin Ødegaard captained Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 22 years. The 27-year-old midfielder also captained Norway to their best-ever finish in a World Cup, leading the team all the way to the quarter-final.
Fantastic throughout the season, the Gunners skipper was a massive part of his club’s and country’s success over the last season. However, his not being on the nominations list suggests that France Football might have focused more on a player’s statistical output, where Odegaard lacked this last year.
The left-wing/right-wing French duo of Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue ripped it up in Ligue 1 this past season. Their rapid pace, combined with some insane on-the-ball skill, made the two a deadly combo on the wings.
Both of them had 10+ goals across all competitions in 2025-26. Not only did they win the domestic title and the UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain last season, but they also made a deep run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with France, reaching the semi-finals. Their exclusion from the 20-man nomination list comes as deeply surprising.
Argentine forward Julián Alvarez is currently one of the best strikers in the world. He was an offensive unit for Atlético Madrid, an otherwise very defensive side, in 2025-26. His 20 goals and nine assists were vital for his side as they reached the UCL semi-finals.
His excellent year made him one of the best strikers on the market in the recent transfer window, and his transfer saga one of the most controversial ones in recent years. He also played a crucial role for Argentina in their campaign to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
Speaking of the World Cup, in a World Cup year, it is natural that several players of the title-winning squad make it into Ballon d’Or nominations. However, there are several big omissions from the nominations list for the Spain squad that won the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Dani Olmo had a solid season for Barcelona, playing 48 games across all competitions last season, scoring eight goals and assisting nine. He also had more than one memorable stint as a super-sub in the World Cup. His exclusion from the top 30 list shows that being an underrated midfielder is not the best way to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
David Raya did not play a single minute in the World Cup for Spain. Despite that, he has a claim to being the best goalkeeper in the world in the 2025-26 season. The winner of the Premier League Golden Glove, Raya was instrumental in Arsenal winning their first league title in over two decades.
Check Out: Ballon d’Or 2026 Nominee Exclusions
On the other hand, Unai Simón won the World Cup Golden Glove and kept Raya out of the Spanish World Cup-winning squad. While he did have a great season for an underrated side at Athletic Bilbao, his World Cup performance alone, which was one of the greatest for a goalkeeper in the history of the competition, made him deserving of a nomination.
The last of the big Spanish exclusions is Mikel Oyarzabal. The Real Sociedad striker scored five goals and assisted one in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, finishing as Spain’s highest goal scorer in the tournament. He also had a standout La Liga season, scoring 15 and assisting four goals for Sociedad in 2025-26.
Finally, we arrive at an exclusion that might not be too surprising on its own but becomes so due to a certain other inclusion. Cristiano Ronaldo has been out of the European club football limelight for a few years now. But now, at the age of 41, he arguably had his best season playing in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo, with Al-Nassr, won the Saudi Pro League for the first time in his career. In the 30 games he played in the competition, he scored 28 goals and assisted three. And while it might come as no surprise to many that he was not included in the 30-man Ballon d’Or 2026 shortlist, the inclusion of Lionel Messi casts Ronaldo’s exclusion in a different light.
Lionel Messi, over the last year, has scored 32 goals and assisted 25 in 36 games across all competitions. However, he has done so while playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, far away from the bright lights of European football.
But what might differentiate the seasons of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the eyes of France Football is the Argentine’s World Cup campaign. Messi finished as the second-highest goalscorer with eight goals. That, along with his four assists, dragged Argentina to their second World Cup final in a row. Meanwhile, Ronaldo was underwhelming in the same competition, scoring three goals, none of them being vital to any result, as Portugal crashed out in the round of 16.
Check Out: Ballon d’Or 2026 Nominee Exclusions
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