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Five clubs have been shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or Men's Club of the Year 2026, with soccer's equivalent of the Oscars scheduled for a prestigious ceremony in London on Oct. 26.
Organized by France Football, the glittering awards show has traditionally focused on crowning the best individual player of the year throughout most of its nearly 70-year history, but in 2021 an entirely new set of awards was introduced to enrich the evening's program.
Chelsea were the inaugural Men's Club of the Year recipients, followed by consecutive wins for Manchester City. Real Madrid claimed the honor in 2024, with Paris Saint-Germain being the most recent recipients.
A clear pattern has emerged, with four of the five previous winners being the club that also lifted the Champions League trophy. Will that trend continue this season?
Here's Sports Illustrated's breakdown and ranking of the five nominated clubs.
Ballon d'Or Award Shortlists
• Ballon d'Or Nominees (Men's and Women's)
• Kopa Trophy Nominees (Men's and Women's
• Yashin Trophy Nominees (Men's and Women's Goalkeeper of the Year)
• Club of the Year Nominees (Men's and Women's
• Coach of the Year Nominees (Men's and Women's)
5. Bodø/Glimt
Achievements: Norwegian Cup winners, Champions League Round of 16
Let's be entirely honest here: one of these clubs clearly stands apart from the rest.
That said, while they have virtually no realistic shot at winning Club of the Year, Bodø/Glimt's inclusion on the shortlist is a deserved acknowledgment of a club operating so far from Europe's traditional power centers that they are geographically closer to Santa's workshop than the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Arctic Circle underdogs, guided by Kjetil Knutsen, defeated Manchester City at home and then Atlético Madrid away to secure a place in the Champions League knockout phase playoffs for the first time in their history. Most remarkably, they then eliminated 2024–25 finalists Inter Milan home and away to advance to the Last 16.
As things currently stand, they appear on track to claim Norway's top division title for the fifth time in seven years—though the Ballon d'Or "reference period" only extends to July 19.
4. Flamengo
Achievements: Copa Libertadores, Serie A, Campeonato Carioca
It has been yet another outstanding year for Flamengo, who have firmly established themselves as the finest team playing soccer outside of UEFA.
The Rio de Janeiro outfit edged past Palmeiras 1-0 in the 2025 Copa Libertadores final last November and have continued to build momentum across all competitions since, despite Filipe Luís stepping down as manager back in March.
While not entirely within the Ballon d'Or's judging window, Flamengo are on track to retain their Serie A title this season and have also progressed to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals with relative ease.
However, they were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in the Intercontinental Cup, and a Club of the Year victory may prove to be a step too far.
3. Arsenal
Achievements: Premier League, Champions League runners-up, Carabao Cup runners-up
Arsenal cruised to the Premier League title in convincing fashion, dropping just four matches across the entire campaign and holding a seven-point cushion over Manchester City to end a wait of over two decades to reclaim their status as England's top club.
It has been a remarkable achievement by Mikel Arteta and his squad to reestablish the Gunners as one of European soccer's most formidable and respected sides.
Depending on whether you lean optimistic or pessimistic, the remainder of Arsenal's season can be interpreted as either encouraging progress or frustrating near-misses, with the Gunners falling just short in both the Carabao Cup and Champions League finals.
2. Bayern Munich
Achievements: Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal
Bayern Munich were utterly dominant in 2025–26, leading the Bundesliga from Gameweek 1 right through to the final whistle.
It might have felt monotonous, and perhaps it would have been, if Vincent Kompany's side weren't so thrilling to watch in the process.
They suffered just a single defeat on their march to the title, shattering the record for the most goals scored in a single season (122)—36 of which came from the unstoppable Harry Kane.
Bayern also swept to the domestic cup and pushed deep into the Champions League, only to be eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in an electrifying semifinal for the ages.
1. Paris Saint-Germain
Achievements: Ligue 1, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup
It would be a massive surprise if Paris Saint-Germain were not handed the award in London this October.
Luis Enrique's all-conquering side became the only club other than Real Madrid to win back-to-back European titles in the Champions League era, cementing their place among the all-time greats of the game.
They also cruised to another Ligue 1 crown and added the Intercontinental Cup and UEFA Super Cup to their growing trophy collection.
They are, quite simply, the standout club of the year.