The record eight-time winner and holder of the trophy did not feature Wednesday in the list of 30 players in the running for the award, which will be presented on October 28.
Also excluded was Messi's great rival, five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo. It is the first time since 2003 that neither player made the list.
Vinicius Junior, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are among those nominated.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior is among the award favourites this year. (AP PHOTO)
Messi, who left European soccer behind when moving from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami last year, is still delivering at a high level and helped Argentina win the Copa America in July.
The 37-year-old beat Manchester City striker Haaland to the award last year.
Messi won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009 - the start of a four-year streak of taking the top prize.He was first nominated in 2006.
Messi and Ronaldo turned the competition into a near-two-way contest during the peak of their careers - winning it a combined 13 times from 2008. Ronaldo's first nomination was 2004.
Their omission from the list of nominations is likely due to leaving top-flight European club soccer, with Ronaldo having moved to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
A new generation of talent has emerged in the form of Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, Bellingham and Haaland. Emerging teenage star Lamine Yamal of Spain was also nominated.
The favourites to be crowned Ballon d'Or winner this time around include Real Madrid pair Vinicius Junior and Bellingham, as well as Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.
Messi was also left off the list in 2022, but powered back to inspire Argentina to the World Cup title later that year and won his eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023.
Spain and Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati, who won the women's award last year is nominated again.
But there is no Australian among the 30 nominated players for the first time since the female award's inception in 2018.
Matildas captain Sam Kerr had featured every previous year, finishing a career-best second last year, when she was joined on the list by Hayley Raso.
But Kerr's ruptured ACL suffered in January ruined the Chelsea star's chances this year.
Spain's Aitana Bonmati has the chance to win back to back Ballon d'Or awards. (AP PHOTO)
The awards are voted for by a jury of men's and women's soccer journalists.
Created by France Football magazine, the Ballon d'Or was first awarded to England great Stanley Matthews in 1956.
Legends of the game including Eusébio, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane have all won it in the past.
