Sparse Barça presence on the 2026 Ballon d'Or list
Pedri congratulated Raphinha after the goal he scored in the league match between FC Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou, but both were left out of the list of 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, which will be presented on Monday, October 26 in London.
Nominations and absence of the blaugranas
The official list, published by the magazine in charge of the award, does not include either of the Barça players. Only Pau Cubarsí, also listed as Pau Cubars, Lamine Yamal and Rodri Hernández appear as representatives of the club, alongside Ferran Torres, among the 30 finalists.
In total, six World Cup winners with Spain are nominated: the four already mentioned, plus Marc Cucurella and Fabián Ruiz. The absence of Pedri and Raphinha is surprising, as is the absence of David Raya, Enzo Fernández, Mikel Oyarzabal, Désire Doué and Bukayo Saka.
Real Madrid surpasses Barça in representation, contributing Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Junior, Jude Bellingham and the newly signed Marc Cucurella. PSG leads the list with ten footballers, practically all of its starters from last year, except Safonov and Doué.
Women and youngsters also make the list
In the women's section, the absence of Aitana Bonmatí draws attention; her injuries allowed her to play only 22 matches last season. However, six Barça players appear: Esmee Brugts, Cata Coll, Caroline Graham Hansen, Patri Guijarro, Ewa Pajor and Claudia Pina, as well as Mariona Caldentey among the Spanish.
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Caroline Weir, now at OL, is the only Real Madrid representative on the women's list. In the young category, Pau Cubarsí, Clara Serrajordi, Lamine Yamal and Vicky López aspire to recognition, while Yan Diomande and Felicia Schröder, recent Real Madrid signings, are also nominated.
Among the goalkeepers, the three shot-stoppers who won the World Cup with Spain — Simón, Raya and Joan García — are among the ten candidates for the world's best goalkeeper, alongside the modest Vozinha. In the women's category, Cata Coll retains her spot, while Hannah Hampton defends her crown.
In the coaches category, the Spanish presence is overwhelming; only the Belgian Vincent Kompany manages to slip into the nominees, while Luis de la Fuente, Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery represent Spain. In the women's branch, Pere Romeu and Jonatan Giráldez aspire to the award.
The official announcement will take place in London on October 26, the date when the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner will be revealed and the final distribution of the awards confirmed. The information comes from JORDI COTRINA, EPC correspondent.