Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will not be part of the 2026 Ballon d'Or. France Football has released its 30-man shortlist, ending a three-year period where Nigerian footballers, coaches, and officials received some recognition in world football's top individual awards.
The two players scored seven of Nigeria's 14 goals at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. They were among the top four scorers in the tournament. Fans in Nigeria expected them to be featured prominently in the Ballon d'Or conversation.
Their absence is mainly due to Nigeria not qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This tournament's performances are crucial for the assessment period from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026.
Osimhen ended the 2025/26 season with 30 goals across all competitions. Normally, this would put him in the running for awards. Lookman had 12 goals and six assists during the same time.
But neither player’s achievements were enough to sway the judges at France Football, who put a lot of importance on performances in major international tournaments. This year, the World Cup played a big part in the evaluation.
This marks a big change for Nigerian football in individual awards. Osimhen was the first Nigerian to enter the Ballon d'Or top 10. He did this in 2023, finishing eighth after an outstanding season with Napoli, where he won the Serie A title. Lookman followed him the next year, taking 14th place in the 2024 rankings after a great season with Atalanta. He scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen.
In 2025, Nigeria's streak continued but in a different way. Super Falcons' coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie were nominated for awards at that year’s Ballon d'Or. This was after Nigeria's successful Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. They came from behind to beat Morocco 3-2 in the final and won their 10th continental title.
Madugu was nominated for Women's Team Coach of The Year alongside Sarina Wiegman and Sonia Bompastor. Nnadozie competed for the Yachine Trophy against goalkeepers like Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton and Barcelona’s Cata Coll.
Both finished fourth in their categories when the awards were announced in Paris. The Nigeria Football Federation called their achievements milestones to build on.
Now, this run of representation across men’s and women’s categories has come to an end. The 2026 shortlist has many players from Paris Saint-Germain. They have ten nominees, including Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele, and Vitinha. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal also have several nominees. Sadio Mane is on the men’s list after moving to Al-Nassr. But Nigeria is not represented for the first time since Osimhen's rise three years ago.
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place on Monday, October 26, in London. This is the first time in a long while that the event is happening outside Paris.
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