Nigeria will watch the Ballon d’Or from the sidelines this year. No Nigerian made the men’s shortlist, the women’s list or any other category.
The winner will be named on Monday at the London Palladium. The ceremony starts at 8 pm in London, which is 9 pm in Nigeria. It is the 70th edition and the first held outside Paris. Kate Scott and Thierry Henry will host.
Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe lead the race. Kane captained England to third place at the World Cup. A win would make him the first Englishman to take the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
Yamal helped Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final. The 19-year-old finished second to Ousmane Dembele last year. He is also chasing a third straight Kopa Trophy. Mbappe won no team trophies. However, he topped the scoring charts in LaLiga, the Champions League and the World Cup.
Many Nigerian fans expected to see Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman on the list. The pair scored seven of the Super Eagles’ 14 goals at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Osimhen also ended the 2025/26 season with 30 goal contributions. Lookman managed 12 goals and six assists.
Still, the voting window ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, the day of the World Cup final. Nigeria did not qualify for the tournament. Judges give heavy weight to performances on that stage.
Sadio Mané of Al Nassr is the only African on the men’s list. Paris Saint-Germain lead with 10 nominees. Lionel Messi also appears as an outsider after a strong World Cup.
Nigeria was last honoured in the women’s game. Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie both finished fourth in their categories last year.
