Julián Quiñones has been officially included among the 30 candidates for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, an award presented by France Football to the best footballer of the year. The Mexican forward received the nomination after a standout season with Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, where he finished as the top scorer with 33 goals in 31 matches, surpassing stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Ivan Toney in offensive production.

His club numbers were complemented by his performance with the Mexican National Team in the 2026 World Cup, where Quiñones scored four goals and provided one assist in five games, becoming one of El Tri's main offensive leaders. His four goals allowed him to tie Luis Hernández and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández as the top Mexican scorers in a single World Cup edition. His candidacy also considers individual performance, decisive character, collective results, and titles won during the evaluated period.

The nomination represents a historic achievement for Mexico, as Quiñones is only the second Mexican to appear among the 30 finalists for the Ballon d'Or, after Guillermo Ochoa, who achieved it in 2007. Other Mexican footballers such as Rafael Márquez, Javier Hernández, Andrés Guardado, and Giovani dos Santos had previously appeared on preliminary lists but did not make the final group of 30. Furthermore, in this edition, Mexico has representation in other categories with Scarlett Camberos as a candidate for the Women's Ballon d'Or and América Femenil nominated for best women's team. The ceremony will be held on October 26 in London, where Quiñones will compete against stars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, and Erling Haaland.