Lionel Messi nominated for Ballon d'Or 2026 award | OneFootball

By Jaime Uribarri

Inter Miami CF superstar Lionel Messi has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or 2026 award, it was announced Tuesday.

Messi's inclusion in the 30-player shortlist selected by France Football comes after he won MLS Cup 2025 presented by Audi with Inter Miami and captured a second straight Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.

The iconic No. 10 also led Argentina to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, breaking numerous tournament records during a memorable last hurrah with La Albiceleste.

The 2026 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony will take place on Oct. 26 at the London Palladium Theatre.

Standard-bearer

Messi has received a record eight Ballon d'Or awards. He most recently won in 2023, following his legendary World Cup title with Argentina at Qatar 2022. 

Already the most decorated soccer player of all time with 46 trophies, Messi will compete with the likes of 2026 World Cup champion and Golden Ball winner Rodri (Spain), French superstar Kylian Mbappé, Norwegian icon Erling Haaland and England all-time leading goalscorer Harry Kane.

Elite production

At age 39, Messi remains among the sport's most influential stars as he continues to produce elite numbers well over two decades into his legendary career. 

During Miami's 2025 MLS Cup-winning campaign, Messi produced 29g/19a in 28 regular-season matches as he won the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi.

In the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, he set a league record with 15 goal contributions (6g/9a) and was named MLS Cup 2025 MVP presented by Audi as Miami clinched their first league title with a 3-1 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

At his record sixth and final World Cup this summer, Messi tallied 8g/4a in eight games, directly participating in 12 of Argentina’s 19 goals scored at the competition. He fell just short of Mbappé (10g/4a) for the tournament Golden Boot.

Heading into Wednesday's clash at Robert Lewandowski and Chicago Fire FC (8:30 pm ET | Apple TV), Messi leads MLS with 18g/12a while becoming the first player in league history to produce 30 goal contributions over three different seasons.

Ballon d'Or 2026 nominees