Lily Yohannes Receives Women’s Young Talent of the Year Nomination Ahead of 2026 Ballon d’Or Ceremony
The Lily Yohannes Ballon d’Or nomination makes history. After bursting onto the footballing scene at just 17, she becomes the first American woman to be nominated for the Women’s Young Talent of the Year award, ahead of the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony on 26 October.
A Breakout Year at Lyonnes
From Life After Football’s last conversation with Lily Yohannes, her career has only gone to greater heights. In the summer of 2025, she secured a move to OL Lyonnes (formerly Olympique Lyonnais Féminin), one of the powerhouses in women’s club football.
In her first season, she’d snap up three domestic titles, and also reach the Women’s Champions League final, only falling short to FC Barcelona Femení. At just 19 years old, this nomination should come as no surprise to anyone.
A Familiar Kind of Change
It’s also, in a way, a familiar story for Lily. She was ten when her family moved from Virginia to the Netherlands, and she’s spoken before about how quickly that move came to feel normal.
Trading Amsterdam for Lyon nine years later is a smaller leap by comparison, but it’s the same pattern: new country, new dressing room, new language, and an ability to settle in fast enough that it barely shows in her football.
Lily’s international career could easily have gone another way. Having come through the Dutch system at Ajax, she was eligible to represent the Netherlands, but chose to represent the United States instead, the country of her birth.
The Ballon d’Or Nomination
On 8 September 2026, the Ballon d’Or announced its nominees for all the awards ahead of the official ceremony, with the 70th edition set to be held at the London Palladium Theatre in London, England, on 26 October 2026.
The Women’s Young Talent of the Year award was introduced during the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony, with Barcelona Femení player Vicky Lopez taking home the award. This year, after Lily’s breakout year with the Lyonnes, she finds herself as one of the finalists to win the Best Young Talent of the Year.
Staying Grounded
What stood out most from the conversation with Lily wasn’t the trophies or the transfers, but how little any of it seems to have gone to her head.
Asked how she handles pressure at such a young age, she pointed to family, friends, coaches and teammates rather than the noise around her: “I try to only listen to the voices that matter… you have to block the noise and try to stay focused on what’s important.” It’s a mindset that seems to travel with her wherever she plays, and probably explains why a move across the continent, or a nomination like this one, doesn’t appear to faze her much at all.
What’s next for Lily Yohannes
With the 2027 Women’s World Cup now just a year away, this nomination feels like a marker on a longer road rather than a peak.
Lily has been open about what playing for her country on that stage would mean to her.
It would mean everything. Representing my country on the biggest stage is something that I’ve always strived for. To play on the biggest stage for your country means representing something bigger than yourself.
This Ballon d’Or nomination for Lily Yohannes might not decide anything on its own, but her meteoric rise in women’s football is one that inspires generations to come. Regardless if she wins, one thing is certain. All eyes will be on her come the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Ready for more?
Liked reading about Lily’s nomination for the upcoming Ballon d’Or ceremony? Then check out the full interview with Lily Yohannes from our Life After Football Magazine, Issue 84.
From exclusive interviews to business moves and lifestyle beyond the pitch, explore more stories inside the Player’s Lounge.
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