Manchester City Women's historic 2025/26 double-winning campaign has been recognised with a Club of the Year nomination at the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Five City players were shortlisted for the individual award, underlining the squad's dominant performances last season.

The club's nomination for the prestigious team award is a first in its history. Manager Andrée Jeglertz was shortlisted for Coach of the Year, while goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita was nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year. The five players on the main Ballon d'Or list were defenders Kerstin Casparij and Alex Greenwood, midfielder Yui Hasegawa, and forwards Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Vivianne Miedema.

Shaw led the individual charge, finishing third overall after scoring 21 goals in 21 WSL matches last term. Only two of those strikes were penalties. Her current form remains electric, with the striker topping the club's scoring charts this season with eight goals in seven appearances. Hasegawa achieved her highest-ever finish, placing 11th, while Casparij was ranked 24th and Greenwood 26th. Miedema was named joint 28th.

Individual excellence drives recognition

Each player's nomination was built on standout statistical contributions. Captain Alex Greenwood, a club legend signed over six years ago, created 15 chances from set pieces, making her the WSL's most influential defender in that category. She also registered 79 line-breaking passes, placing her in the top percentile for her position.

Full-back Kerstin Casparij provided a league-high seven assists from defence and made 40 tackles, the fourth-most in the WSL. She played 1,844 minutes, the second-most in the City squad. Yui Hasegawa's creative influence was also key, and she registered the most assists at the 2026 Asian Championships.

Vivianne Miedema tallied 15 goal involvements in 19 league appearances last season, a figure bettered only by Shaw and Arsenal's Alessia Russo. She also created 30 chances from her 19 starts.

Building on current momentum

The individual accolades come as City continue a strong start to the new WSL season. They sit second in the table with 19 points from seven games, having scored 20 goals. Their recent form reads three wins and two draws from the last five, an unbeaten run that includes a 1-1 draw with Manchester United last weekend.

That result, where Shaw scored in the 66th minute, extended their solid start. The team now turns its focus to maintaining this momentum in the title race. The next challenge is an away fixture against third-placed London City Lionesses on 1 November.

The club's dual success, winning the WSL for the first time in a decade and lifting the FA Cup with a 4-0 win over Brighton, has firmly re-established Manchester City Women among the elite. The Ballon d'Or nominations serve as a powerful endorsement of that achievement as the squad aims to build another championship challenge this term.

The original report is at mancity.com