What to know

• See the full list of 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees, including eight-time winner Lionel Messi and rising star Lamine Yamal. Find out who made the cut! : https://punchng.com/full-list-messi-yamal-among-2026-ballon-dor-nominees/S1
• Only two African players were nominated for the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or top 30 nominees on Tuesday. They are Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga. The two made the list follow their brilliant performances at the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nat...S2
• [Vanguard] Several African footballers have been nominated for awards at the 2026 Ballon d'Or, with players from Morocco, Senegal, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire and Algeria featuring among the nominees.S3
• France Football, the organisers of the Ballon d’Or award, have officially released their shortlist of nominees for the 2026 edition. The lists were published on their website on Tuesday. PSG’s Ousmane Dembele is the current holder of the prize, having beaten B...S4