France Football dropped the 2026 Ballon d'Or shortlist, and the women's side of the ballot is genuinely compelling this year. Thirty players made the cut. The ceremony is set for October 26.
Kansas City Current lead the field with two nominees — striker Temwa Chawinga and goalkeeper Lorena — which tells you everything about the kind of season the club had. Chawinga won the MVP and Golden Boot back-to-back, then went and dragged Malawi to a WAFCON final as a tournament debutant. That's not a fluke. That's a player at the absolute peak of her powers, and she has to be considered one of the frontrunners.
The full women's Ballon d'Or shortlist at a glance
- Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride / Zambia) — 14 goals, 3 assists in 2026 after returning from injury; currently second in the Golden Boot race
- Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current / Malawi) — back-to-back MVP and Golden Boot; led Malawi to the WAFCON final and a 2027 World Cup spot
- Khadija Shaw (Manchester City / Jamaica) — 21 goals and 4 assists in the WSL, 5 goals and 3 assists in the FA Cup; won the league and cup double; 9 goals in Concacaf W Qualifiers
- Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnais / USWNT) — 19 years old; Women's Champions League finalist; part of Lyon's domestic treble
- Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC / USA) — NWSL champion, Concacaf W Champions Cup winner, Championship MVP; 2025 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year
- Lorena (Kansas City Current / Brazil) — 16 clean sheets, Best XI First Team, Goalkeeper of the Year; Copa América final hero in penalty shootout vs. Colombia
- Scarlett Camberos (Club América / Mexico) — historic treble with América; hat-trick in the Concacaf W Champions Cup semi-final; Golden Ball winner; 9 goals in the tournament
Khadija Shaw's case is quietly one of the strongest on the list. Twenty-one league goals. The WSL title. The FA Cup. Nine more in qualifying for Jamaica. At some point the argument that Shaw belongs in the Ballon d'Or conversation stops being a take and starts being arithmetic.
Camberos and Club América make history
Scarlett Camberos becoming the first Mexican player nominated is the kind of moment Liga Femenil has been building toward for years. Club América won their first continental title, beat two of the top NWSL sides to do it, and Camberos was the one driving it — a hat-trick in the semis, nine tournament goals, Golden Ball. The narrative writes itself. Whether the voters in Paris see it that way is a different question.
Lily Yohannes as the youngest nominee across the entire Ballon d'Or list — men's and women's — at 19 years old is the kind of detail worth sitting with. She helped Lyon to a domestic treble and reached the Women's Champions League final. The Young Talent award is almost certainly hers to lose.
Coach and Club awards
The Coach of the Year shortlist has some weight to it. Pere Romeu won a quadruple with Barcelona Femení — Liga F, Copa de la Reina, Supercopa de España, and the Women's Champions League. That's a nearly perfect season. Jonatan Giráldez took Lyon to a domestic treble and a Champions League final. Nils Nielsen won the AFC Women's Asian Cup with Japan and beat the United States in the SheBelieves Cup. Any of those three has a legitimate claim.
Elena Sadiku is the only woman in the coaching shortlist, recognized for winning the inaugural UEFA Women's Europa Cup with BK Häcken. A pioneer's résumé.
On the Club of the Year side, Bayern Munich's 45-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga — a divisional record — makes them a serious contender alongside Barcelona, Lyon, Manchester City, and Club América. Five clubs, five distinct stories. The October 26 ceremony has more genuine debate attached to it than it has in years.
