Scarlett Camberos is in London for the Balón de Oro 2026 after France Football named her among the 30 best female footballers in the world. The América forward became the first Mexican player nominated for the individual award, a milestone that puts her on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
The shortlist does not decide the winner by itself. It narrows the field to 30, then the final ranking is settled from that group, which is why being named is already a major step even before the result is known. For Camberos, the timing matters because the ceremony is being held now, with her name suddenly carrying the weight of a first for Mexico.
Her path helps explain why the nomination resonated. Scarlett Nefer Camberos Becerra was born on November 20, 2000 in California and grew up in a family with Mexican roots based in Chula Vista. Her father was an América fan, and that connection helped shape her love of football. During her university years at the University of California in Irvine, she studied Criminología, Leyes y Sociedad, then finished her final college season in 2021 with 13 goals and 7 assists in 22 matches, including two hat tricks, before being named Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
That background now sits beside her current role at América, where she has become the face of a recognition that reaches beyond one player. The same ceremony also places América Femenil in the picture through its nomination for Mejor Club Femenino, linking Camberos’s achievement to the wider rise of Liga MX Femenil. A separate report on her buildup to the gala, Scarlett Camberos gets backing ahead of Ballon D'or 2026 gala, underscored how closely this moment is being watched.
What remains unresolved is not whether the nomination matters — it plainly does — but whether Camberos can turn a historic shortlist appearance into the award itself. For now, the important fact is already set: a Mexican player has reached the final stage of one of women’s football’s most visible honors, and Camberos is the one carrying that first into London.
