Nigerian footballers will be absent from this year’s Ballon d’Or awards, with no player nominated in any category as the 2026 winner is set to be announced in London on Monday.
Super Eagles forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are among the notable omissions despite their contributions for club and country during the assessment period.
Osimhen recorded 30 goal contributions across all competitions in the 2025/26 season, while Lookman scored 12 goals and provided six assists. Both players also featured prominently at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where they scored seven of Nigeria’s 14 goals.
However, Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup may have affected their chances, as the assessment period for the award ran from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, the date of the tournament’s final.
The omission ends a three-year run of Nigerian representation in the awards. Osimhen finished eighth in 2023 after helping Napoli win the Serie A title, while Lookman placed 14th in 2024 following his hat-trick in Atalanta’s Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
Last year, Nigeria had representation in the women’s categories, with Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie nominated after the team won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Both finished fourth in their respective categories.
Africa’s sole representative on the men’s shortlist this year is Senegalese forward Sadio Mané of Al Nassr.
England captain Harry Kane, Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France forward Kylian Mbappé are among the leading contenders for the men’s award.
Kane led England to third place at the World Cup and could become the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
Yamal, who helped Spain win the World Cup, is seeking to improve on his second-place finish last year. Mbappé is also in contention after winning top-scorer honours in La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup, despite failing to win a major trophy.
Defending champion Ousmane Dembélé is among 10 Paris Saint-Germain players nominated for the award. Other clubs with multiple nominees include Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal.
The ceremony, the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or, will take place at the London Palladium from 8pm local time, equivalent to 9pm in Nigeria. It is the first time the event will be staged outside Paris.
The men’s winner will be selected by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA men’s rankings, based on individual performance, team achievements, and class and fair play.
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