2026 Ballon d’Or set for a close contest in London
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will bring together the contenders for the men’s and women’s awards in London on Monday 26 October, with winners chosen by panels of specialist journalists. The 70th edition will be held outside Paris for the first time, according to Vanguard.
The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony, which honours the best footballer of the year, will take place on Monday 26 October 2026 at the London Palladium in England. Held outside Paris for the first time, the evening features several contenders with no clear favourite, according to British newspaper Vanguard.
English striker Harry Kane is among the leading candidates after scoring 61 goals for Bayern Munich during the 2025-2026 season. He won the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, as well as the German league’s top-scorer award for the third consecutive time.
France Football entrusted the voting to 100 specialist journalists representing the 100 nations ranked highest by FIFA on 8 September 2026. Each juror must rank ten players from a list of 30 candidates drawn up by France Football, L’Équipe, a former juror and UEFA ambassadors.
Harry Kane is among the favourites after his prolific season, while the expected presence of Lamine Yamal’s close entourage in London illustrates the other candidacies being followed ahead of the ceremony. Real Madrid have also announced their attendance at the event in London.
