The Kansas City Current likes to bill itself as the best club in the world. And it has at least two players who are considered among the best talents in the world.

On Monday, London City Lionesses and Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas was crowned the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or winner, or Ballon d’Or Féminin, as the top player in the world for the third time in her career.

The prestigious Ballon d’Or is handed out annually by French magazine France Football to the best men’s and women’s soccer players.

KC Current forward Temwa Chawinga landed 10th on the rankings, the highest finish for an African woman since the award was first presented in 2018. The previous record was held by Orlando Pride and Zambia star Barbra Banda, who finished 12th in 2024. Banda finished 18th in this year’s rankings.

United States Women’s National Team legend Megan Rapinoe is the only NWSL player to win the award; that was back in 2019 with Seattle Reign FC. That’s also the last year an NWSL player finished in the top 3 of the rankings.

Chawinga finished 17th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings after winning back-to-back NWSL MVPs and leading the Current to its first NWSL Shield with 15 goals.

This season, Chawinga leads the Current with 12 goals, which is fourth in the NWSL, despite missing matches with injury and international duty. Chawinga’s year was highlighted by her return to international duty for Malawi, where she led the Scorchers to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final and secured a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Current goalkeeper Lorena joined Chawinga on the Ballon d’Or list, placing 28th on this year’s rankings. This is Lorena’s first year being nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

She won last season’s NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with a record-breaking 690 consecutive shutout minutes and 14 regular-season clean sheets. She was also a finalist for the 2026 Yashin Trophy — awarded to the world’s best goalkeeper.

Lorena was part of a Current team that set a new league record for goals allowed en route to winning the shield. Lorena has also starred for her native Brazil, helping win the 2025 Copa América Femenina.

This season, Lorena has conceded 27 goals with four clean sheets in 20 matches.

The Current’s stars were two of the NWSL’s five players on this year’s Ballon d’Or’s list.