Osimhen and Lookman Miss 2026 Ballon d’Or Shortlist

(Lookman and Osimhen. Photo by Punch News)

Nigerian footballers Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have failed to make the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d'Or award, ending a three-year streak in which Nigerian players, coaches and administrators had appeared on world football's most prestigious individual honours list.

Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman had scored seven of Nigeria's 14 goals at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and ranked among the tournament's top scorers, so many expected them to be in contention.

However, their absence comes down mainly to Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The World Cup is a major factor in how the award judges assess players during the judging period from August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026.

Victor Osimhen finished the 2025/26 season with 30 goal contributions across all competitions, while Ademola Lookman managed 12 goals and six assists.

These numbers would normally put them in line for individual honours but were not enough to overcome the weight the judges place on major international tournament performances.

This marks a dramatic change for Nigerian football on the global awards stage.

Victor Osimhen was the first Nigerian to break into the Ballon d'Or top 10 in 2023 when he finished eighth after a prolific season with Napoli that included winning Serie.

Ademola Lookman followed a year later, finishing 14th in 2024 after a standout campaign with Atalanta that ended with winning the Europa League.

He scored a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.

In 2025, the streak continued but through Nigerian women's football.

Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie were nominated for individual honours after Nigeria's triumphant Women's Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco.

The Super Falcons came from two goals down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final and win a record-extending 10th continental title.

Justine Madugu was shortlisted for Women's Team Coach of The Year alongside Sarina Wiegman and Sonia Bompastor, while Chiamaka Nnadozie competed for the Yachine Trophy against goalkeepers including Hannah Hampton from Chelsea and Cata Coll from Barcelona.

Both Justine Madugu and Chiamaka Nnadozie finished fourth in their respective categories when the awards were given out in Paris.

That run of representation across men and women categories over three consecutive years has now been broken.

The 2026 shortlist is dominated by Paris Saint-Germain with ten nominees including Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Arsenal also feature heavily.

Sadio Mane's inclusion following his move to Al-Nassr means Africa has some representation on the men's list but Nigeria finds itself absent for the first time since Victor Osimhen's breakthrough three years ago.

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for Monday, October 26 in London, marking the first time in recent memory the event will be held outside Paris.