Soccer
Ballon d'Or 2026 - The nominations for Young Talent of the Year
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The 2026 Ballon d'Or will take place next month in a lavish London ceremony, which you can watch live on DAZN.
As well as the two main awards, there are several other prizes to be handed out, including the gong for the best young men and women players of 2026.
The nominees for the men's and women's Young Talent of the Year have been announced today, and DAZN News runs down the contenders.
Men's Young Talent of the Year 2026 nominees
There are 10 incredible young players named in the running to be the 2026 Young Talent of the Year, with many who shone at this summer's World Cup.
Leading the way is Lamine Yamal, who helped Barcelona win another La Liga title before becoming the first teenager to win both a Euros and a World Cup when Spain triumphed in the States.
Yamal's Spanish teammate, Pau Cubarsi, is also nominated after being named the best young player at this summer's tournament, alongside Ayyoub Bouaddi and Johan Manazambi, two more big stars of the finals.
New Real Madrid forward Yan Diomande also makes the list, alongside Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi after a record-breaking season for the Cherries.
Here are the 10 names shortlisted.
- Kerim Alajbegović (Bosnia and Herzegovina, RB Salzburg/Juventus)
- Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco, Lille/Manchester City)
- Pau Cubarsí (Spain, FC Barcelona)
- Yan Diomandé (Côte d’Ivoire, RB Leipzig/Real Madrid)
- Lennart Karl (Germany, Bayern Munich)
- Éli Junior Kroupi (France, Bournemouth)
- Lamine Yamal (Spain, FC Barcelona)
- Johan Manzambi (Switzerland, SC Freiburg/Aston Villa)
- Ibrahim Maza (Algeria, Bayer Leverkusen)
- Warren Zaïre-Emery (France, Paris-SG)
Women's Young Talent of the Year 2026 nominees
There are more amazing top young names nominated for the women's award too, with Barcelona's all-conquering names as the headline acts.
Both Vicky Lopez and Clara Serrajordi have made the list and would be frontrunners to take home the award following their Champions League success.
Here are the five names shortlisted.
- Veerle Buurman (Netherlands, Chelsea)
- Vicky Lopez (Spain, FC Barcelona)
- Felicia Schröder (Sweden, BK Häcken/Real Madrid)
- Clara Serrajordi (Spain, FC Barcelona)
- Lily Yohannes (USA, OL Lyonnes)
Watch the Ballon d’Or live and for free on DAZN
Find out which two players will be crowned the best male and female player on the planet on Monday, October 26 at the Ballon d’Or awards. Watch exclusively worldwide live and FREE on DAZN (check for excluded territories)
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