Why is Aitana Bonmati not nominated for Ballon d’Or 2026?

Aitana Bonmati had won last year’s Ballon d’Or Feminin, completing a hat-trick of titles. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

The 2026 edition of the Ballon d’Or Awards will see some of the biggest stars of football assemble as the best players, coaches and clubs of the year are felicitated at the London Palladium on Monday.

The Ballon d’Or, an annual football award given by the France Football magazine, is widely considered the award for the best male and female players in the world.

Ousmane Dembele won the Men’s Ballon d’Or last year, and has been nominated for the award this time too. However, the list for women’s nominees does not feature Aitana Bonmatí, Spain’s talismanic midfielder who has won the trophy three consecutive times.

Why is Aitana Bonmatí not on the Ballon d’Or list?

Aitana Bonmatí was one of Spain’s most influential players when it won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. But the past year has been tough for Bonmatí, starting with a fractured left fibula suffered in November 2025 during a training session with Spain.

She underwent surgery in December and was out of play for five months.

Bonmatí returned in May, making seven appearances for Barcelona before the end of the 2025-26 season. But the pain from her injury forced Bonmatí to step away before the start of the 2026-27 season. As a result, the 28-year-old is not on the list for Ballon d’Or Féminin.

Full list of nominees for Women’s footballer of the year:

Selma Bacha, Barbra Banda, Esmee Brugts, Klara Bühl, Mariona Caldentey, Scarlett Camberos, Kerstin Casparij, Temwa Chawinga, Cata Coll, Melchie Dumornay, Caroline Graham Hansen, Alex Greenwood, Patri Guijarro, Pernille Harder, Yui Hasegawa, Rose Lavelle, Mapi León, Lorena, Melvine Malard, Manaka Matsukubo, Vivianne Miedema, Ewa Pajor, Clàudia Pina, Alexia Putellas, Wendie Renard, Alessia Russo, Khadija Shaw, Momoko Tanikawa, Caroline Weir, Tessa Wullaert