Rabat – Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi has been included among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, earning recognition for his performances with Paris Saint-Germain and the Atlas Lions during a season filled with major trophies and international milestones.
France Football and UEFA announced the shortlist on Tuesday, with Hakimi joining names including Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Erling Haaland, Lamine Yamal, Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham and Vitinha. The Moroccan is making his second appearance on the Ballon d’Or shortlist after finishing a career-best sixth in the 2025 voting.
Hakimi recorded four goals and 17 assists in 49 appearances during the 2025-26 season, according to L’Équipe’s profile of the nominees, maintaining his status as one of Europe’s most productive full-backs.
His campaign was interrupted by injury, but the 27-year-old returned to play an important role in another successful year for PSG.
Another Champions League title with PSG
Hakimi helped Paris Saint-Germain retain the UEFA Champions League, with Luis Enrique’s side defeating Arsenal on penalties in the final in Budapest after a 1-1 draw.
The Moroccan converted PSG’s fourth kick in the shootout before the French champions completed a 4-3 victory on penalties, becoming only the second club in the modern Champions League era to win consecutive editions of the competition.
Hakimi also registered seven assists during the Champions League campaign and helped PSG retain the Ligue 1 title. His domestic performances earned him places in Ligue 1’s editorial Teams of the Season and its data-based Best XI.
His latest nomination follows an already historic period individually. Hakimi was crowned CAF Men’s Player of the Year in 2025, becoming the first Moroccan to win the award since Mustapha Hadji in 1998 and the first defender to take Africa’s top individual prize since 1973.
With Morocco, Hakimi captained the Atlas Lions throughout a busy international year. He was named in CAF’s Team of the Tournament following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and later led Morocco to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He scored once and provided two assists across six World Cup appearances, including an assist in the 3-0 Round of 16 victory over Canada.
Morocco were also awarded the 2025 AFCON title by the CAF Appeal Board in March after Senegal were ruled to have forfeited the final, although Senegal’s appeal remains pending before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or assessment covers performances from August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026, including AFCON and the World Cup. Individual performance is the primary voting criterion, followed by team achievements and fair play.
The winner will be announced on October 26 at the London Palladium, where Hakimi will seek to improve on his sixth-place finish from 2025 and challenge for the highest individual honor of his career.
