Lorena, goalkeeper for Kansas City and the Brazil women's national team, was nominated on Tuesday for the Ballon d'Or 2026 award for best women's goalkeeper in football.
She is up against Ann-Katrin of Gotham FC, Catalina Coll of Barcelona, Hannah Hampton of Chelsea and Ayaka Yamashita of Manchester City for the honor.
Lorena, 29, joined the Brazil national team while Pia Sundhage was in charge of the squad, at a time when she was playing for Grêmio. She became the team's starting goalkeeper under coach Arthur Elias after a string of strong performances.
Copa América heroics
Lorena made her mark at the 2022 Women's Copa América in Colombia, becoming the only goalkeeper in the history of the tournament to play every match without conceding a single goal. The Women's Copa América is South America's top international women's football competition, organized by CONMEBOL.
In 2025, she helped Brazil win the Copa América title, beating Colombia in a final that was decided on penalties.
At the 2024 Olympics, Lorena was again one of Brazil's standout players as the team won the silver medal.
First move abroad
Lorena transferred to Kansas City last year after six seasons with Grêmio, where she made 63 appearances and won two Campeonato Gaúcho titles, the top state championship in Rio Grande do Sul. Kansas City play in the National Women's Soccer League in the United States.
This season with Kansas City, Lorena has played 14 matches and conceded 20 goals.
When the ceremony will be held
The Ballon d'Or, organized by the French magazine France Football, announced the nominees for all its award categories this week. The winners will be revealed on October 26 in London, England.
The awards are marking their 70th anniversary this year. The ceremony, usually held in France, moved location for the occasion in tribute to the former English forward Stanley Matthews, the first ever winner of the Ballon d'Or.
