Nigeria will have no representation at the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards, with no Nigerian nominated in the men’s, women’s or other award categories for the first time in three years.
The 70th edition of the ceremony is scheduled for Monday at the London Palladium, beginning at 8pm local time (9pm in Nigeria). It marks the first time the prestigious football awards gala will be held outside Paris. Kate Scott and Thierry Henry will host the event.
The absence of Nigerian nominees comes despite impressive performances by Super Eagles forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during the 2025/26 season. The pair scored seven of Nigeria’s 14 goals at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and finished among the tournament’s leading scorers.
Osimhen recorded 30 goal contributions across all competitions during the season, while Lookman scored 12 goals and provided six assists. However, neither made the shortlist for this year’s awards. The assessment period ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, the date of the World Cup final. Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the tournament may have limited the players’ opportunities to impress on the global stage.
Nigeria previously enjoyed Ballon d’Or recognition through Osimhen, who finished eighth in 2023 after helping Napoli win the Serie A title, and Lookman, who placed 14th in 2024 following his hat-trick in Atalanta’s Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
The country also had nominees in the women’s categories last year. Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie finished fourth in their respective categories after Nigeria won a record-extending 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title. Madugu was nominated for Women’s Team Coach of the Year, while Nnadozie contested the Yashin Trophy.
Africa’s sole representative on the 30-man men’s shortlist is Sadio Mané of Al Nassr. Paris Saint-Germain lead the nominations with 10 players, including defending champion Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal also have multiple nominees.
England captain Harry Kane, Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France forward Kylian Mbappé are among the leading contenders. Kane is seeking to become the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001, while Yamal is pursuing another major individual honour after finishing second last year. Mbappé is also in contention following a prolific campaign, despite not winning a major team trophy.
The winner will be selected by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s world rankings. Voters will rank their top 10 players based on individual performances, team achievements, sporting class and fair play.
For Nigerian football, the absence of nominees marks a setback after three consecutive years of representation. It also highlights the challenge of maintaining global recognition when strong individual performances are not accompanied by appearances at major international tournaments.
