For the first time in three years, Nigeria will watch the Ballon d’Or from the outside, as the 2026 winner is named on Monday (today) at the London Palladium, with Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe leading the race.
No Nigerian appears on the men’s shortlist, the women’s list or any of the other trophy categories.
The ceremony, the 70th edition of the award, starts at 8 pm in London, which is 9 pm in Nigeria. It is the first time the gala has been staged outside Paris, and Kate Scott and Thierry Henry will host.
The absentees include two men many Nigerian fans expected to see.
Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman scored seven of the Super Eagles’ 14 goals at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and were among the tournament’s top four scorers. Osimhen ended the 2025/26 season with 30 goal contributions in all competitions, while Lookman managed 12 goals and six assists.
Numbers like those would ordinarily keep Osimhen in the conversation, but this year’s assessment window ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, the day of the World Cup final.
Nigeria did not qualify for the tournament, and performances on the biggest international stage carry heavy weight with the judges.
The omission closes a short but notable chapter.
Osimhen finished eighth in 2023 after a prolific campaign that brought Napoli the Serie A title. A year later, Lookman placed 14th after scoring a hat-trick in Atalanta’s Europa League final win over Bayer Leverkusen and having a prolific AFCON campaign.
Last year the recognition came from the women’s game.
Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie were nominated after Nigeria beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final to win a record-extending 10th continental title. Madugu was shortlisted for the Women’s Team Coach of The Year award and Nnadozie for the Yashin Trophy, and both finished fourth in their categories in Paris.
Africa is represented on the men’s list only by Sadio Mané of Al Nassr.
The 30-man list is dominated by Paris Saint-Germain, who have 10 nominees. They include defending champion Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal also have several names, with Gabriel, Declan Rice and William Saliba in the biggest Premier League group. Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes are the only other players from England’s top flight. Lionel Messi, an eight-time winner, is on the list as an outsider after a strong World Cup.
At the front of the race, Kane captained England to third place at the World Cup and should he claim the honour, he would become the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Yamal, meanwhile, helped Spain win the World Cup, where they beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time. The 19-year-old, who also won the European Championship in 2024, finished second to Dembele last year and is chasing a third successive Kopa Trophy for the best player under 21. Rodri, who now plays for Barcelona, won the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player and is also among the 30.
Mbappe, who won no trophies but claimed top scorer awards in LaLiga, UCL and the World Cup, is on the list alongside his Real Madrid teammates Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.
The winner is decided by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s rankings, each of whom ranks a top 10. The criteria are individual performance, team achievements, and class and fair play.
PSG’s players face a clash on the night, as their Ligue 1 game against Lyon has been moved to Monday evening. The injured Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among those free to attend because both will miss that match.
For Nigerian fans, the evening will be a spectator sport and a reminder of how quickly a spell of global recognition can end without a World Cup stage.
Source: punchng.com
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