Zambia captain Barbra Banda has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or for a third consecutive year after another impressive season in the women’s game.
The Orlando Pride forward has been included in the 30-player shortlist for the prestigious individual award, following a campaign in which she further established herself as one of the leading attacking players in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Banda’s latest nomination comes shortly after she broke the Orlando Pride’s all-time record for goals scored in a season, adding another notable achievement to an already distinguished career.
She is joined on the Ballon d’Or shortlist by Malawi Women’s National Team forward Temwa Chawinga.
The Ballon d’Or awards are organised annually by French football magazine France Football, with the ceremony co-organised by UEFA. The awards recognise the outstanding male and female footballers in the world, with players considered irrespective of their league or nationality.
The assessment period for this year’s women’s award covers the 2025-26 season, from 3 August 2025 to 19 July 2026. International competitions played during that period are also included in the voting criteria.
For the women’s award, those competitions include the World Cup, AFCON, Asian Cup and the final phase of the Nations League. However, the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded on 16 August, falls outside the reference period and will instead be considered for the following award.
Banda’s inclusion continues a remarkable run of recognition for the Zambia international, who has become one of the most prominent figures in women’s football.
The forward was named the 2024 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year and also received the CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year award, underlining her growing status at both continental and global level.
Her international career has also taken her to the biggest stages in women’s football. Banda has represented Zambia at two Olympic Games and a FIFA Women’s World Cup, adding significant international experience to her achievements at club level.
Her third consecutive Ballon d’Or nomination further reflects the consistency of her performances and her standing among the world’s leading players.
Banda’s latest recognition also comes at an important stage of her career at Orlando Pride, where she has emerged as a key attacking figure and one of the club’s most influential players.
Her record-breaking season has strengthened her case for consideration among the game’s elite, although the nomination alone does not guarantee a place on the final podium.
The Ballon d’Or process will now move towards its final stage, with the leading three players set to occupy the podium when the awards ceremony takes place.
The final three nominees will be announced at the ceremony in London on 26 October 2026.
For Banda, the latest shortlist appearance provides another opportunity to challenge for one of the biggest individual honours in women’s football.
Her presence among the 30 nominees, alongside Chawinga, also gives African women’s football two representatives among the leading contenders for the award.
Banda will now wait to discover whether her performances during the assessment period have been enough to take her into the final three.
Regardless of the outcome, the nomination extends a run of individual recognition that has established the Copper Queens captain as one of the most recognisable players in the women’s game.
