Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Michael Olise are among the leading contenders for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or as football’s biggest individual awards ceremony takes place in London from 8 p.m. today, October 26.
The 70th edition of the ceremony will recognise outstanding performances across men’s and women’s football, with awards for the best players, goalkeepers, young talents and coaches.
According to the official Ballon d’Or website, live coverage will begin at 4pm London time, featuring nominees’ arrivals, reactions from football figures, statistics and announcements as the winners are revealed.
The winner of the men’s award will succeed Ousmane Dembélé, who claimed the previous edition and is among this year’s nominees.
Other contenders include Portugal midfielder Vitinha, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, Brazil forward Vinícius Júnior and Georgia international Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Organisers have described this year’s contest as one of the closest in recent memory, adding that no confirmed leak has revealed the winners ahead of the ceremony.
Meanwhile, the organisers have outlined the voting process for selecting the award recipients.
Under the official regulations, an international jury of specialist journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings will determine the men’s award. Journalists from the top 50 countries will vote for the women’s prize.
The FIFA rankings in effect when the nominees were announced on September 8, 2026, will determine the countries represented on the respective juries.
Each juror for the men’s award must select and rank 10 players from the 30-man shortlist. Their choices will earn 15, 12, 10, eight, seven, five, four, three, two and one point, respectively.
The player with the highest aggregate score will win the award. If two players finish level on points, the number of first-place votes will determine the winner, with further rankings used to settle the tie if necessary.
France Football’s editorial staff, members of the L’Équipe editorial team, at least one member of the previous edition’s jury and designated football ambassadors are responsible for compiling the shortlist.
The ceremony will also feature the women’s Ballon d’Or and other specialised honours celebrating achievements across the game.
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