Spain's Barcelona stars lead the field as Women's Ballon d'Or is awarded Monday night
The Women's Ballon d'Or, the prize for the best female player of the year, is handed out on Monday evening in London. Spain has more players on the 30-name shortlist than any other country, and most of them play for Barcelona.
The ceremony starts at 20:00 GMT at the London Palladium, according to UEFA. It is the 70th edition of the men's and women's awards, which began in their modern form in 1956 for men and have been run for women since 2018.
Alexia Putellas is the favourite, according to SI. She won the award in 2021 and 2022. Between them, she and Aitana Bonmati have won the past five. Putellas now plays for London City Lionesses, but she captained Barcelona to a quadruple in May, meaning four trophies in one season. She scored 21 goals and set up 13 more across the campaign. Her career total stands at 38 trophies.
Barcelona's season was a long one. They won their seventh straight Liga F title, Spain's top women's league, and have been Spanish champions every year since 2019-20. They also claimed their third Champions League in four years. Eight starters from that Champions League final are on the shortlist, including Claudia Pina, Cata Coll and Patri Guijarro.
Bonmati's year ended badly. She suffered a serious leg injury on international duty in November 2025. Spain had won the World Cup in 2023, lost the Euro 2025 final to England, and then beat Germany in the Women's Nations League final last December.
The shortlist is not only about Spain. England's Khadija Shaw scored 21 league goals last season, helping Manchester City win their first league title in a decade. She added five FA Cup goals as City completed the double, winning the league and cup in the same season. She has been the Women's Super League's top scorer for the past three seasons and has scored 90 goals since joining City in summer 2021.
Alessia Russo, also English, scored nine Champions League goals last season. She finished third in last year's voting, behind Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey. Arsenal won the Champions League in May 2025, but this year they went out in the semi-finals to Lyon.
Ewa Pajor scored 11 goals in 10 Champions League games last season, including a hat-trick in the final against Lyon. France has three players on the shortlist, tied for second-most among nations, including Melvine Malard and Wendie Renard. Selma Bacha of Lyon is also a nominee, as is Zambia's Barbra Banda of Orlando Pride.
For casual fans, the shape of the night is simple. One prize goes to one player, chosen from a long list of names built on a year of club and country football. This year that list leans heavily on one club and one country, which makes the result a useful measure of where the women's game now stands.
Whoever wins, the evening will bring together players from across Europe and beyond in one room. Monday's result will settle the year's debate, and it will start a new one about the season ahead.
