Osimhen, Lookman shut out as Nigeria’s Ballon d’Or streak ends

Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have missed out on the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with France Football’s newly released 30-man shortlist ending a three-year run in which Nigerian footballers, coaches and administrators had found some form of recognition on world football’s most prestigious individual honours list.

The Nigeria duo, who between them accounted for seven of the Super Eagles’ 14 goals at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and ranked among the tournament’s top four scorers, were widely expected by home fans to feature prominently in the conversation.

Their absence, according to the criteria published by France Football, comes down largely to Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a tournament whose performances fall squarely within the assessment window of August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026.

Osimhen finished the 2025/26 season with 30 goal contributions across all competitions, a return that would ordinarily place him in contention for individual honours, while Lookman managed 12 goals and six assists in the same period.

Neither tally, however, was enough to offset the weight France Football’s judging panel places on major international tournament performances, particularly with the World Cup now factored into this year’s assessment.

The snub marks a stark reversal of fortunes for Nigerian football on the global individual awards stage.

Osimhen remains the first Nigerian to break into the Ballon d’Or top 10, a feat he achieved in 2023 when he finished eighth following a prolific season with Napoli that included a Serie A title. Lookman followed a year later, securing 14th place in the 2024 rankings on the back of a standout campaign with Atalanta that culminated in a Europa League triumph over Bayer Leverkusen, in which he scored a hat-trick in the final.

The streak extended into 2025, though through a different route.

Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie were both nominated for individual honours at that year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony following Nigeria’s triumphant Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco, where the Super Falcons overturned a two-goal deficit to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final and lift a record-extending 10th continental title.

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

Both eventually finished fourth in their respective categories when the awards were handed out in Paris, achievements the Nigeria Football Federation described at the time as milestones the pair could build on.

That run of representation, spanning men’s and women’s categories across three consecutive years, has now been broken.

The 2026 shortlist is dominated by Paris Saint-Germain, who have ten nominees including Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha, while Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Arsenal also feature heavily. Sadio Mane’s inclusion, following his move to Al-Nassr, means Africa is not entirely without representation on the men’s list, but Nigeria finds itself absent for the first time since Osimhen’s breakthrough three years ago.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place on Monday, October 26, in London, marking the first time in recent memory the event will be staged outside Paris.