Bruno Fernandes 27th, Vinicius Jr 17th: The Ballon d'Or top 30 in full

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Tom Weber | Writer

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is about to start, and the first names in the men's and women's rankings have already been revealed.

This year's edition of football's most prestigious individual prize is being handed out in London to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the inaugural Ballon d'Or, which was won by England legend Stanley Matthews in 1956.

No English player has won the men's Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001, but this 25-year drought could come to an end as Three Lions captain Harry Kane is one of the frontrunners to win after an incredible 61-goal season and strong World Cup.

Bayern teammate Michael Olise, Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal and Rodri are also among the favourites, while Jude Bellingham, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha are in contention.

Below, FootballTransfers lists the entire men's and women's top 30 rankings of the 2025 Ballon d'Or...

2026 Ballon d'Or ranking

The ceremony will officially start at 9:00 pm CET, although France Football has already begun revealing the top 30 rankings.

Arsenal defender William Saliba and Al-Nassr forward Sadio Mane share 29th place. The former helped the Gunners end a decades-long Premier League title drought, while the latter won the Saudi Pro League and captained Senegal to a controversial African Cup of Nations triumph.

Al-Qadsiah and Mexico star Julian Quinones was a surprise inclusion on the Ballon d'Or shortlist after his impressive World Cup, and he comes in at 28th, followed by Premier League Player of the Year Bruno Fernandes of Man Utd in 27th.

Bayern Munich centre-back Dayot Upamecano and winger Luis Diaz rank 26th and 24th respectively following a dominant, treble-winning season in Germany.

Meanwhile, Marquinhos is 25th after captaining PSG to a second successive Champions League success as well as the Ligue 1 title, the Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Teammates Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Joao Neves and Ferran Torres sit in spots 23, 20, 19 and 16, respectively.

Inter striker Lautaro Martinez features in 22nd after bagging 17 goals during the Nerazzurri's Scudetto-winning season. El Toro also scored three times at the World Cup, including the winner against England that took Argentina to the final.

Saliba's centre-back partner at Arsenal, Gabriel Magalhaes, occupies 21st after his crucial role - both offensively and defensively - in the Gunners' Premier League domination.

World Cup winner Marc Cucurella, surprisingly tipped to win the Ballon d'Or by former Fulham manager Felix Magath, has only finished 18th. His Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr, who has been boycotting the ceremony since his 2024 snub, is in 17th.

On the women's side, Man City are well-represented after breaking Chelsea's stranglehold on the Women's Super League in 2025/26. Vivianne Miedema, Alex Greenwood, Kersin Casparij and Yui Hasegawa have all made the top 30.

UEFA Women's Champions League finalists OL Lyonnes similarly boast several names, with Caroline Weir, Selma Bacha and Wendie Renard recognised as some of the best players in the world.

Miedema, new Chelsea signing Melvine Malard and Lorena received the same number of votes and therefore share 28th.

Just like every year, UWCL winners Barcelona are likely to dominate the top 10, which has yet to be revealed.