Ballon d'Or 2026: Favourites, Ceremony Details, and How to Watch

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony is set to award football's most prestigious individual honour on Monday. Leading contenders in the men's category include Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappe, while Spain's Alexia Putellas is favoured for the women's award for a third time. This upcoming ceremony, recognizing the best player of the 2025-26 season, marks the award's 70th edition and its first time being held outside France.

What is the Ballon d'Or?
The Ballon d'Or is the pinnacle of individual accolades in football, awarded based on a player's performance in the preceding season. Established in 1956 by French magazine France Football's Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the award initially recognized only European players. Its scope expanded in 1995 to include all players at European clubs, regardless of origin, and became a global award in 2007, open to all professional footballers. The women's Ballon d'Or was introduced in 2018, with Ada Hegerberg as the first recipient. Since the 2024 edition, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and Groupe Amaury, owners of France Football and L'Equipe, have jointly organized the award.

Who decides the Ballon d'Or winner?
An international jury of specialized journalists, with one representative per country, determines the winner. The selection is based on FIFA rankings: the top 100 nations for the men's award and the top 50 for the women's award at the time of the nominee list publication (September 8, 2026, for this year's award).

How does the voting work?
Each jury member ranks ten players from a 30-player shortlist in descending order of merit. France Football's editorial staff, L'Equipe's editorial team, a representative from the previous edition's jury, and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello (for the men's trophy), along with Nadine Kessler (for the women's trophy), compile the list. Points are awarded based on the rankings: 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point for the top ten players, with the highest total score winning the Ballon d'Or.

What’s the voting criteria?
Player evaluations cover performances throughout the entire previous season, specifically from August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, for this year's award. Jurors consider three factors in order of importance: individual performances and their decisive impact, collective performances and titles won, and class and fair play.

Who is the favourite to win?
In the men's category, England captain Harry Kane is the bookmakers' favourite, having scored 73 goals last season and securing the Bundesliga top scorer title for the third consecutive year, along with a second European Golden Shoe. He also won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and led England to a third-place finish at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kylian Mbappe, who won the World Cup Golden Boot and set an all-time goals record, is the second favourite, followed by teenage winger Lamine Yamal, a member of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad. The men's shortlist also includes Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele, and Rodri.

Who could win the Ballon d’Or Feminin?
For the women's Ballon d'Or, Spain captain Alexia Putellas is the frontrunner, having led Barcelona to a quadruple, including the Liga F and Women’s Champions League titles. Putellas, a two-time winner in 2021 and 2022, aims to match Aitana Bonmati's record of three trophies. Other contenders include Khadija Shaw (Women’s Super League top scorer), Ewa Pajor (Women’s UCL top scorer), and Melchie Dumornay (domestic treble winner with Lyon).

Where and when is the Ballon d’Or ceremony?
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26, marking the first time it's held in Britain, as a tribute to the 1956 winner Stanley Matthews. The red carpet begins at 18:00 GMT, followed by the ceremony at 20:00 GMT. France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and sports journalist Kate Scott will co-host, with performances by US rapper French Montana and English singer Jorja Smith.

Where can I watch the ceremony and follow it online?
Al Jazeera Sport will provide live coverage from 17:00 GMT. DAZN will offer a free livestream in most countries. Viewers in France can watch on L’Equipe TV, and Telefonica will broadcast it in Spain.

Who has won the most Ballon d’Or awards?
Lionel Messi holds the record with eight Ballon d'Or awards, including four consecutive wins from 2009-2012. Cristiano Ronaldo is second with five awards. Ousmane Dembele won the 2025 award, and Rodri was the 2024 winner.

Which other awards are given at the Ballon d’Or?
A total of 13 awards will be presented, including the men's and women's Ballon d'Or, Kopa Trophy (U-21 players), Yashin Trophy (goalkeeper), Gerd Muller Trophy (striker), Johan Cruyff Trophy (coach), Club of the Year, and the Socrates Award (humanitarian work).