Women’s Ballon d’Or 2026 power rankings: will a new winner be crowned?

For the first time since 2023, the Women’s Ballon d’Or could have a new winner with Ewa Pajor, Khadija Shaw, Alessia Russo and Melchie Dumornay among the contenders. Composite: Getty; PA

1 Melchie Dumornay (OL Lyonnes/Haiti) Yes, Dumornay was part of a team that lost 4-0 to Barcelona in last season’s Champions League final, but her influence in the OL Lyonnes midfield as they cruised to a domestic treble stepped up a gear. The technically brilliant 23-year-old midfielder was named player of the year by the French players’ union, and her importance to Lyonnes was most clearly demonstrated by her absence through injury for their 2-1 loss to Arsenal in their Champions League semi-final first leg. She returned for the second leg and produced a player-of-the-match performance in a 3-1 win. Dumornay scored five goals in Lyonnes’ Champions League run and was named in the team of the tournament.

2 Ewa Pajor (Barcelona/Poland) After losing five Champions League finals, Pajor shook off her ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ mantle in style with two goals as Barcelona thrashed Lyonnes in Oslo. The 29-year-old’s 11 goals in European competition last season matched Alexia Putella’s 2021-22 tally, which has not been bettered since Ada Hegerberg’s record-breaking 15 in 2017-18. Pajor also scored 16 goals in Liga F, behind only her Barcelona teammate Claudia Pina who scored 21.