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Africa's Ballon d'Or drought set to continue | Goallivo

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SpotlightBBC SportUnverified source· 8 Sept 2026

Africa's Ballon d'Or drought set to continue

Only two Africans in the 30-man shortlist, and the odds are stacked against them.

Africa's Ballon d'Or drought set to continue — Photo: BBC Sport

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Contenders

Sadio Mane and Achraf Hakimi

Last winner

George Weah in 1995

Best recent

Mane second in 2022

What happened. The 2026 Ballon d'Or nominations feature only two Africans, Sadio Mane and Achraf Hakimi, making it unlikely Africa will end its drought since George Weah's 1995 win.

Spain won the World Cup and Mbappe became top scorer, overshadowing African hopes.
Award wasn't open to non-European players until 1995.
Only other top-three African finish was Mane's second in 2022.

Voting by journalists from top 100 nations could still surprise, but history suggests a long wait.

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