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Women's Ballon d'Or 2026 nominees: no Italians in the list, Aitana Bonmati also misses out.

No Italian players are among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or. Last year, Cristiana Girelli, who ended up 16th, and Sofia Cantore, who finished 24th, were included in the shortlist. Two years earlier, Manuela Giugliano, the first Italian ever to be nominated for the most prestigious individual prize, placed 27th. The only "Italian" club represented among the nominees is Como, through Belgium forward Tessa Wullaert.

Aitana Bonmati is not in the list.

There is no spot among the Women's Ballon d'Or nominees for defending winner Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona. She is the only footballer, along with Michel Platini from 1982 to 1984 and Lionel Messi from 2009 to 2012, to have won at least three Ballon d'Or awards in a row. She broke her leg in November and, because of that injury, missed a large part of the season.

The full list of nominees:

Selma Bacha (France, OL Lyonnes)

Barbra Banda (Zambia, Orlando Pride)

Esmee Brugts (Netherlands, Barcelona)

Klara Buhl (Germany, Bayern Munich)

Mariona Caldentey (Spain, Arsenal)

Scarlett Camberos (Mexico, Club America)

Kerstin Casparij (Netherlands, Manchester City)

Temwa Chawinga (Malawi, Kansas City Current)

Cata Coll (Spain, Barcelona)

Melchie Dumornay (Haiti, OL Lyonnes)

Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway, Barcelona)

Alex Greenwood (England, Manchester City)

Patri Guijarro (Spain, Barcelona)

Pernille Harder (Denmark, Bayern Munich)

Yui Hasegawa (Japan, Manchester City)

Rose Lavelle (United States, Gotham FC)

Mapi Leon (Spain, Barcelona/London City Lionesses)

Lorena (Brazil, Kansas City Current)

Melvine Malard (France, Manchester United/Chelsea)

Manaka Matsukubo (Japan, North Carolina Courage/Chelsea)

Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands, Manchester City)

Ewa Pajor (Poland, Barcelona)

Claudia Pina (Spain, Barcelona)

Alexia Putellas (Spain, Barcelona/London City Lionesses)

Wendie Renard (France, OL Lyonnes)

Alessia Russo (England, Arsenal)

Khadija Shaw (Jamaica, Manchester City)

Momoko Tanikawa (Japan, Bayern Munich)

Caroline Weir (Scotland, Real Madrid/OL Lyonnes)

Tessa Wullaert (Belgium, Inter/Como)

The ceremony will be held in London.

The Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for 26 October and, for the first time, it will be staged in London instead of Paris. The award is organised by the French sports magazine France Football, but for the 70th anniversary it was decided to pay tribute to the winner of the inaugural edition in 1956, England footballer Stanley Matthews, by holding the event in England.