The 70th annual Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held in London later this year to honour the late, great Stanley Matthews and mark the prestigious award's 70th anniversary.
London Hosts Ballon d'Or for First Time
Paris has traditionally been the regular host location for the lavish award ceremony, which crowns the best footballer in Europe. Ousmane Dembele was named the recipient of the coveted prize back in September as a reward for a stellar year with Paris Saint-Germain, with England captain Harry Kane believed to be among the contenders for this year's award.
However, London will host the next award ceremony on October 26 to pay tribute to Matthews, the maiden Ballon d'Or winner. A statement from officials confirming the news said: “This is a circumstantial and temporary choice, though the increasingly international stature of this prestigious award does leave room to imagine the experience could be repeated elsewhere outside France in the coming years.”
Stanley Matthews: The First Winner
Matthews won the FA Cup with Blackpool and made over 800 appearances during his playing career, largely for the Tangerines and Stoke City. He passed away at the age of 85 back in February 2000.
Harry Kane Among Top Contenders
With the ceremony set to be held in London, there is now a chance Kane could become the latest recipient of the coveted gong on home soil. The 32-year-old has enjoyed another remarkable season in Germany with Bayern Munich, firing the Bavarian giants to the Bundesliga title.
Kane has plundered 61 goals in 51 games across all competitions and could further enhance his claims for the Ballon d'Or with a strong showing at the World Cup with England.
Other Potential Candidates
Michael Olise, one of Kane's attacking team-mates at Bayern, could also be in the running after being named Bundesliga Player of the Year for the 2025-26 campaign. Last year's final two, Dembele and Lamine Yamal, are also likely to be in the frame for the main prize again after fine campaigns for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona respectively, while Declan Rice is another English contender after helping Arsenal end their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.
