Alexia Putellas stands as the clear frontrunner for the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or after a dominant revival season captaining Barcelona to a quadruple that included the UEFA Women’s Champions League, where she earned Player of the Season honors with strong goal and assist tallies. The absence of three-time winner Aitana Bonmatí, sidelined for much of the campaign by injury, has opened the race among the 30 nominees announced in September. Barcelona players occupy multiple slots thanks to collective success, while Khadija Shaw’s record WSL goalscoring for Manchester City, Ewa Pajor’s Champions League scoring exploits, and Melchie Dumornay’s Lyon contributions position them as strong contenders for top-10 finishes. With the ceremony set for October 26 in London, trader sentiment centers on these club achievements and individual metrics as the primary drivers ahead of the final vote.