When the women's Ballon d'Or is presented on Monday night, Alexia Putellas is the favourite to lift the trophy for a third time, potentially continuing Spain's dominance. Alongside Aitana Bonmati, Putellas has helped Spanish stars capture the past five awards. With Bonmati sidelined after sustaining a serious leg injury on international duty in November 2025, the London City Lionesses forward leads the contenders after captaining Barcelona to a May quadruple, including their seventh straight Liga F championship and a third Champions League crown in four years.
Spain's footprint remains vast, with Barcelona reaching seven of the past eight Champions League finals and the national side winning the 2023 World Cup and Nations League against Germany. Putellas drove that club success with 21 goals and 13 assists, elevating her career total to 38 trophies. "Give it to her!" Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told BBC Sport. "Along with Marta, she is the best player in history. No doubt she was the best player in this campaign – and she won everything!" Spain leads the shortlist with six players, including Claudia Pina, Cata Coll, and Patri Guijarro.
Seeking to end Spain's reign is Manchester City's Khadija Shaw, whose 21 league goals helped seal City's first title in a decade and a domestic double. Former England international Ellen White stated: "We haven't had a major tournament but there are some amazing players on the list. I would love to see Shaw up there - brilliant goalscoring." Yet, City's absence from the Champions League could impact Shaw and four club colleagues. Other challengers include Arsenal's Alessia Russo and Barcelona's Ewa Pajor, the Women's Gerd Muller trophy recipient who struck a Champions League final hat-trick against Lyon.
Voted on by journalists from the top 50 FIFA-ranked nations, the criteria encompasses individual performance, collective results, and fair play from 3 August to 19 July. While moving the event to the domestic calendar solved previous date disputes, critics still highlight the lack of NWSL representatives, such as Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman, due to conflicting season calendars. As the gala approaches, the key question remains whether Putellas will confirm her status once more or if a rival will halt Spain's long-standing grip.