Ballon d’Or 2026: Nominees, favourites, ceremony date and how to watch
The 2026 Ballon d'Or winner will be announced on Monday night at a glittering ceremony in London. The 70th staging of the event will be the first to be held outside of France, with it moving to England as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, who won the first ever Ballon d'Or in 1956. With Harry Kane among the favourites for the men's award, that choice of location could yet prove to be particularly…
The 70th Ballon d'Or awards, set to take place on October 26 at the London Palladium Theatre, will honor the world's top football players, coaches, clubs and individuals. The ceremony marks the first time this prestigious event will be held in England, in honor of Stanley Matthews, the inaugural Ballon d'Or winner in 1956. Harry Kane is among the favorites for the men's award, alongside Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappe and PSG players.
The 2026 event features 10 male nominees from 30 contenders in total, including Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, though the latter is an outsider. The Ballon d'Or, originally focused on the world's best male player, has evolved to include female players, coaches and teams. France Football continues to manage the voting process, with an international jury of journalists from top football nations selecting players from a list of 30 nominees.
The winner is determined by the highest number of points, with tiebreakers based on first, second and third-place votes. The 2026 ceremony will be hosted by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry, and can be watched live and free on DAZN or the official Ballon d'Or website, with coverage also provided by beIN Sports in the UAE.
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