2025 Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí left off 30-player shortlist, while Putellas makes the cut

Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or in 2023, 2024 and 2025, has been left out of the 30-player shortlist for the 2026 award. Her Spanish teammate Alexia Putellas, who won in 2021 and 2022, is among the nominees.

The list is dominated by Spanish players and, especially, by Barcelona. Eight players from the club were nominated. They include goalkeeper Cata Coll, Claudia Pina and Patri Guijarro, as well as Mapi León and Esmee Brugts. Norway’s Caroline Graham Hansen also represents Barcelona.

The Latin American nominees are Mexico’s Scarlett Camberos of Club América and Brazil’s Lorena Leite of Kansas City. Other notable names include Barcelona’s Polish striker Ewa Pajor and Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay of Olympique Lyon.

The Spanish contingent also includes Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey. The remaining nominees come from clubs across Europe and the United States, including France’s Selma Bacha and Wendie Renard, Germany’s Klara Bühl, Zambia’s Barbra Banda, Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw, the Netherlands’ Vivianne Miedema, Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga, England’s Alessia Russo, Japan’s Yui Hasegawa and the United States’ Rose Lavelle.

France Football, which organizes the award, will announce the winner at a ceremony in London on Oct. 26.