Mbappé, Yamal, Kane, Olise battle for Ballon d’Or in London

The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony, set to take place in London on Monday, will see Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise among the frontrunners for the prestigious men's award. The event will showcase winners across various categories, honoring exceptional players, goalkeepers, young talents, and coaches in football. Live coverage will commence at 4pm London time, with real-time updates, backstage insights, reactions, statistics, and announcements from the ceremony.

Among the nominees, Ousmane Dembélé remains in contention alongside Mbappé, Yamal, Kane, Olise, Vitinha, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The official website reported that this year's competition is among the most closely contested in recent years, with no confirmed leaks revealing the winners ahead of the ceremony.

The winners of the men's award will succeed Dembélé, who continues to be among the nominees. The jury responsible for determining the recipients will consist of international journalists from the top 100 countries in FIFA rankings for the men's award, while the women's award will be decided by journalists from the top 50 countries.

Each jury member must select 10 players from a 30-player shortlist, assigning points based on their ranking: 15 points for the top-ranked player, 12 for the second, and so on, down to 1 point for the tenth. The player with the highest aggregate score will claim the award, with a tie-breaker determined by the number of first-place votes. If this tie still persists, the next rankings will be considered.