Pedri and Raphinha were left off the list of 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, which will be awarded on Monday, October 26, in London. The absence of the two Barcelona players was one of the surprises in the final selection for the award.
Pau Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal, Rodri Hernández and Ferran Torres are the only representatives from Barcelona among the nominees. The Catalan club thus has only four players on the list of the best in the world.
Among the nominees, there are six World Cup champions with Spain: the four Barcelona players already mentioned, as well as Marc Cucurella and Fabián Ruiz. All of them were part of the Spanish national team that won the World Cup.
The complete list of 30 nominees includes some of the biggest stars in world football, with the Spanish national team having strong representation following their recent World Cup title.
