Ballon d'Or 2026: Favourites, Start Time and How Voting Works
The 70th Ballon d'Or is awarded tonight at the London Palladium. Here is when it starts, how to watch, who is in contention and how the journalists' vote decides the winner.
- As of the afternoon of October 26, 2026, the Ballon d'Or winner has not been announced; the ceremony at the London Palladium starts at 20:00 GMT (4 p.m. ET).
- Harry Kane is the bookmakers' favourite after a 73-goal season, with Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal the other leading contenders.
- One journalist per country ranks ten players, with 15 points for first place down to 1 for tenth.
The 2026 Ballon d'Or winner will be named tonight, Monday, October 26, 2026, at the London Palladium. As of the afternoon of October 26, no winner has been announced. Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal are widely reported as the leading men's contenders, with Kane the bookmakers' favourite, and the ceremony starts at 20:00 GMT (4 p.m. ET), according to UEFA.
This guide covers when and how to watch, the nominees, each favourite's case and how the voting works. It will be updated with the results after the ceremony.
When is the Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony?
UEFA's ceremony guide lists the start as 20:00 GMT / 21:00 CET on Monday, October 26. That is 4 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. PT in the US, as NBC Connecticut and Sporting News via Yahoo Sports report, and midnight in the UAE, per The National.
Exact timings vary by outlet. TNT Sports' running order has the men's rankings from 30th to 11th revealed from 17:00 GMT, the formal ceremony starting at 21:00 GMT and the men's Ballon d'Or announced at about 23:00 GMT. ESPN listed the start as 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET, but UK clocks moved back to GMT on October 25 while US clocks have not yet changed, so a 20:00 London start is 4 p.m. ET this week.
This is the 70th edition and the first held in London. The venue honours Sir Stanley Matthews, the English winger who won the first Ballon d'Or in 1956, Sky Sports and UEFA note. Thierry Henry and Kate Scott host.
How to watch
- Worldwide: a free live stream on DAZN and on the official Ballon d'Or website, according to ESPN and The National.
- United States: DAZN, per CBS Sports; Sporting News also lists Paramount+.
- France and Spain: L'Equipe TV in France and Telefónica in Spain, per Al Jazeera.
Who are the Ballon d'Or 2026 favourites?
No result had been announced at the time of writing, and betting odds are not results. Sky Sports and Al Jazeera report Kane as the bookmakers' favourite, with Mbappé second after a late surge and Yamal third. NBC Connecticut says there is no clear frontrunner this year.
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
Kane's case is built on goals. He scored 73 goals and added 8 assists in 65 games for Bayern and England in 2025-26, Bundesliga.com reports. That is the highest season total by any player since Lionel Messi's 82 in 2011-12. He won the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Supercup, took his second European Golden Shoe and captained England to third place at the World Cup.
Kane has played down the award. "It was, by far, the best season of my life," he told Marca in September, as reported by Al Jazeera, adding that the outcome is up to the voters. No Englishman has won since Michael Owen in 2001.
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, France)
Mbappé won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, becoming the first man to win it at two tournaments, ESPN reports. Bundesliga.com notes he also finished one goal ahead of Kane as the Champions League's top scorer.
The weak spot is team silverware. France finished fourth at the World Cup after losing the third-place match 6-4 to England, and Barcelona, not Madrid, won LaLiga in 2025-26. On Sunday, Mbappé scored twice in a 2-1 Clásico win, reaching 100 Real Madrid goals, but that came after voting closed. Our El Clásico 2026 recap has the details.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
Yamal's case rests on trophies. The 19-year-old won LaLiga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain, who beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the July 19 final, CBS News reported. He finished second to Ousmane Dembélé in last year's vote, according to AFP reporting cited by Sporting News.
Other names to watch
- Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), the holder, scored PSG's penalty in the Champions League final against Arsenal, which PSG won on a shoot-out, per the final's Wikipedia summary. NBC Connecticut says injuries hurt his chances of repeating.
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), 39, an eight-time winner, scored eight World Cup goals, second only to Mbappé, as Argentina finished runners-up, per ESPN.
- Rodri, the 2024 winner, was named the World Cup's best player, ESPN reports.
- Michael Olise (Bayern) is flagged as a serious threat by The National.
The full men's shortlist
Thirty men were nominated, with the lists announced on September 8, according to Sporting News. Wikipedia's 2026 Ballon d'Or page and UEFA list them as:
Jude Bellingham, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella, Ousmane Dembélé, Luis Díaz, Bruno Fernandes, Gabriel Magalhães, Erling Haaland, Achraf Hakimi, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lamine Yamal, Sadio Mané, Marquinhos, Lautaro Martínez, Kylian Mbappé, Nuno Mendes, Lionel Messi, João Neves, Michael Olise, Willian Pacho, Julián Quiñones, Declan Rice, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, William Saliba, Ferran Torres, Dayot Upamecano, Vinícius Júnior and Vitinha.
Paris Saint-Germain have the most nominees; UEFA counts ten. Cristiano Ronaldo is not on the list, The National notes.
Women's award and the other prizes
Thirteen trophies are handed out across the men's and women's game, per TNT Sports and Al Jazeera. For the women's Ballon d'Or, Sky Sports and Al Jazeera name Alexia Putellas, a winner in 2021 and 2022, as the frontrunner, with Ewa Pajor and Khadija Shaw among the other contenders. Three-time holder Aitana Bonmatí is not on the 30-player list after a broken leg kept her out for most of the season, ESPN reports.
The other categories, several of which now carry new names, are:
- Young Talent of the Year (formerly the Kopa Trophy) for under-21s, with Yamal and Cubarsí among the men's nominees.
- Goalkeeper of the Year (formerly the Yashin Trophy).
- Striker of the Year (formerly the Gerd Müller Trophy), which Sky Sports says goes to the top scorer across all competitions; ESPN points to Kane's 73 goals.
- Coach of the Year (formerly the Johan Cruyff Trophy): Mikel Arteta, Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery, Vincent Kompany and Luis Enrique are the men's nominees.
- Club of the Year: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodø/Glimt, Flamengo and PSG on the men's side.
- Sócrates Award for social and humanitarian work.
How Ballon d'Or voting works
France Football runs the award and the vote, while UEFA co-organises the ceremony. The rules, as summarised by Sky Sports and DAZN:
- Eligibility window: August 3, 2025 to July 19, 2026, the day of the World Cup final.
- Shortlist: 30 players chosen by France Football and L'Équipe staff, a juror from the previous edition and UEFA ambassadors (Luis Figo and Fabio Capello for the men's award).
- Jury: one specialist journalist per country, from the top 100 nations in FIFA's men's ranking (top 50 in the women's ranking for the women's award).
- Ballot: each juror ranks ten players. First place earns 15 points, then 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
- Tie-break: the player with more first-place votes wins.
The criteria, in order of importance, are individual performances and decisive impact, then collective performances and titles, then class and fair play, per Sky Sports and The National. That order explains why the debate is often framed as Kane's goals against Yamal's trophies.
Our take
Based on the reporting above, this looks like a genuine three-way race. Kane has the individual numbers, Mbappé has the scoring titles, and Yamal has the biggest team honours. The first criterion, individual performance, favours Kane; the second, titles, is where Yamal's World Cup and LaLiga double stands out.
The bookmakers lean towards Kane, but odds are not a result. Until the envelope is opened tonight, the safest reading is that the men's award is open.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Ballon d'Or 2026?
As of the afternoon of October 26, 2026, the winner had not been announced. The men's Ballon d'Or is presented at the end of tonight's ceremony at the London Palladium, which TNT Sports expects at about 23:00 GMT. Kane, Mbappé and Yamal are the most widely tipped contenders.
What time is the Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony?
UEFA lists the start as 20:00 GMT / 21:00 CET on Monday, October 26, 2026, which is 4 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. PT. TNT Sports' schedule has the formal ceremony at 21:00 GMT, so check your broadcaster for exact timings.
How can I watch the Ballon d'Or 2026?
DAZN is streaming the ceremony free in most countries, and the official Ballon d'Or website is also showing it, according to ESPN and The National. In the US, CBS Sports lists DAZN and Sporting News also lists Paramount+.
How is the Ballon d'Or winner decided?
One journalist from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations ranks ten of the 30 nominees. Points run 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, and the highest total wins, with first-place votes breaking ties.
Who won the Ballon d'Or in 2025?
Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain and France won the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or, and Aitana Bonmatí won the women's award. Dembélé is nominated again in 2026; Bonmatí is not on this year's list after a broken leg.
Sources
- 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony: When and where, all the nominees and how the awards are decided, UEFA
- 2026 Ballon d'Or, Wikipedia
- Ballon d'Or 2026: Full order of ceremony and timings, TNT Sports
- Ballon d'Or 2026: Date, time, voting, odds, favourites, all-time winners, BOAT explained, Sky Sports
- When is the Ballon d'Or winner being announced? What to know for 2026, NBC Connecticut
- What time does the Ballon d'Or 2026 award ceremony start? Live stream, TV channel, list of nominees, Sporting News via Yahoo Sports
- Ballon d'Or 2026: How to watch, list of nominees, all awards, how the voting works, ESPN
- Ballon d'Or 2026: Where to watch, what time does it start, CBS Sports
- Ballon d'Or 2026: Nominees, favourites, ceremony date and how to watch, The National
- When is the 2026 Ballon d'Or, who are the favourites, and how can you watch it?, Al Jazeera
- Bayern and England's Kane not focused on Ballon d'Or despite 73-goal season, Al Jazeera (Reuters)
- Breaking down Harry Kane's brilliant 2025/26 numbers, Bundesliga
- Kylian Mbappé wins Golden Boot at 2026 World Cup, ESPN
- Spain wins 2026 FIFA World Cup with grueling 1-0 victory over Argentina, CBS News
- Ballon d'Or 2026 - Who votes for the winner and what is the criteria?, DAZN
- 2026 UEFA Champions League final, Wikipedia
How we wrote this
GessyMorgan explainers are built from public reporting and official sources. This post draws on the 16 sources listed above, each linked where we use it. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against those sources before publishing. We did not test products, attend events or interview anyone for this article. Facts are current as of October 26, 2026, and we update the post when they change.
