Arsenal have received eight nominations across the 2026 Ballon d’Or awards, with Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice and William Saliba all named on the 30-player men’s shortlist.
The full nominations were revealed on Tuesday following Arsenal’s Premier League title-winning 2025/26 campaign and run to the Champions League final.
Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo have also been shortlisted for the Women’s Ballon d’Or, David Raya is in contention for Goalkeeper of the Year and Mikel Arteta has been nominated for Men’s Coach of the Year.
Arsenal themselves complete the club’s representation after making the five-team shortlist for Men’s Club of the Year.
Gabriel, Rice and Saliba make Ballon d’Or shortlist
Three members of Arteta’s title-winning squad are competing for the main men’s prize.
Gabriel, Rice and Saliba have all been included among the 30 nominees alongside players including Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi and reigning winner Ousmane Dembele.
Gabriel’s inclusion is particularly significant as it represents his first Ballon d’Or nomination.
The Ballon d’Or’s profile of Gabriel highlights his role in Arsenal’s Premier League success and run to the Champions League final.
Saliba, meanwhile, has received his second career nomination after establishing himself as one of Europe’s leading centre-backs.
Rice’s recognition follows a season in which he became central to Arsenal’s title-winning midfield and then played an important role for England at the World Cup.
The midfielder made 55 Arsenal appearances during 2025/26, starting 49, according to England Football.
Russo and Caldentey represent Arsenal Women
Arsenal Women also have two representatives on the 30-player Women’s Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey have both been nominated.
The official Ballon d’Or profile for Russo credits the Arsenal forward with 29 goals and nine assists across 50 appearances during the assessment period.
It continues a strong individual record in the award for Russo, who finished third in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting.
Caldentey’s nomination gives Arsenal two players among the final 30 despite the women’s side not making this year’s Club of the Year shortlist.
David Raya and Mikel Arteta also recognised
Raya has been nominated for the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
The Arsenal No.1 is one of ten goalkeepers shortlisted, alongside Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martinez, Gregor Kobel and Unai Simon.
Arteta is one of only five nominees for Men’s Coach of the Year.
He will compete with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany and Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique.
Arteta’s nomination follows the season in which he finally delivered Arsenal’s first Premier League title since 2003/04.
ReadArsenal previously looked at Arteta reaching 250 Premier League matches as Arsenal manager, with the club’s rise during that period now reflected in his place among the five coaching nominees.
Arsenal nominated for Men’s Club of the Year
Arsenal’s eighth nomination belongs to the club itself.
The Gunners are up against Bayern Munich, Bodo/Glimt, Flamengo and Paris Saint-Germain for Men’s Club of the Year.
That shortlist reflects a 2025/26 campaign in which Arsenal won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final before losing to PSG on penalties.
Our Arsenal 2025/26 season awards looked back at the individuals who drove that title-winning campaign.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place at the London Palladium on Monday 26 October, the first time the event has been staged in London.
Arsenal will arrive with representation across the men’s and women’s main awards, goalkeeper, coach and club categories, giving the club seven individual nominees and eight nominations overall.
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