2026 Ballon d'Or: Hakimi and Mané, the only Africans among the 30 nominees, ceremony on October 26 in London

The 2026 Ballon d'Or will be awarded on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the London Palladium. For the 70th edition of the trophy, the ceremony is leaving Paris and will be held in London for the first time, reports Morocco World News. Of the 30 men's nominees, only two are African: Moroccan Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain) and Senegalese Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), according to the list published on September 8, 2026, and relayed by Foot Mercato.

Hakimi, Africa in the race

As captain of the Atlas Lions, Hakimi is the better placed of the two. La Nouvelle Tribune recalls that he won the Champions League with PSG and is the holder of the African Ballon d'Or awarded by CAF, following Ademola Lookman. He was also among the winners of the 2025 AFCON with Morocco, a title whose status is still pending in proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The selection of Sadio Mané, now in Saudi Arabia, is explained mainly by his influence with Senegal, again according to La Nouvelle Tribune. Two expected names are missing: Ismaïla Sarr, winner of the Europa Conference League with Crystal Palace, and Moroccan Ismael Saibari.

Two instead of three: a decline to examine

Last year, the continent had three nominees: Mohamed Salah, fourth in the final ranking, Achraf Hakimi, and Serhou Guirassy. There are now only two. The figure deserves to be noted without dramatization: African players carry the biggest European clubs, but individual recognition remains rare. Since George Weah, crowned in 1995, no African has won the trophy. Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba came close without ever obtaining it.

Bounou and Bouaddi in the secondary trophies

Africa is also present elsewhere. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is among the ten nominees for the Yashin Trophy, alongside Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martínez, David Raya, Édouard Mendy, and Unai Simón. Ayyoub Bouaddi is mentioned for the Kopa Trophy, which rewards the best player under 21, according to Morocco World News.

How the voting works

The jury brings together one journalist per country ranked in the top 100 of the FIFA men's ranking. Each voter establishes a ranking of ten players, with the first receiving 15 points and the tenth receiving one. The period evaluated runs from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, and the vote is already closed, specifies Morocco World News: the results are sealed.

Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé is the outgoing winner. The favorites mentioned are Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappé. Lionel Messi remains the absolute record holder with eight Ballons d'Or, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (five).