By Saheed Afolabi
The Ballon d’Or have selected four players from the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for the prestigious award.
The Ballon d’Or feminine is awarded to the best player in the World for the previous 2025/2026 season by the French football magazine and four NWSL players made the cut.
With 14 goals to her name for for club and country, Orlando Pride goal poacher, Barbra Banda leads the NWSL contingent. This is her third consecutive nomination as she set a new single season scoring record for her club.
Kansas City prolific forward, Temwa Chawinga, Gotham FC’s Rose Lavelle were also nominated for their breathtaking performances for club and country.
Chawinga earned her deserved nomination through her back to back NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner including her tremendous run in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup Of Nations (WAFCON) to win the golden boot.
2025 NWSL best goalkeeper, Kansas City Current shot stopper, Lorena da Silva Leite completes the NWSL quartet following her brilliant reflexes as she record 16 clean sheets in a record 869 consecutive shutout minutes.
Lorena and Gotham’s Ann-Katrin Berger were also shortlisted for the goalkeeper of the year award.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or is scheduled to take place at the London Palladium, England on Monday, October 26.
This year’s edition is the 70th anniversary and it’s the first time that the award will be held outside Paris. The choice of London honors Sir Stanley Matthews, the inaugural Ballon d’Or winner in 1956.
