The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place in London tonight, with England captain Harry Kane the bookmakers' favourite to claim the award for the first time.
Kane faces stiff competition from Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe and World Cup winner Lamine Yamal. Other potential contenders include Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Rodri and Lionel Messi.
Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Ousmane Dembele is the current holder of the men's Ballon d'Or, having taken over from Rodri last year. Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati has won the last three editions of the Ballon d'Or Feminin.
Ceremony details and venue
The 2026 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony takes place tonight, Monday, October 26. Players are expected to arrive from around 6pm BST, with the ceremony itself getting under way at approximately 8pm. Those exact timings are subject to change.
This year's event is being held in London for the very first time in the award's 70-year history, at the London Palladium in Soho. The ceremony will be hosted by journalist and presenter Kate Scott and Arsenal icon Thierry Henry, who finished as runner-up to Pavel Nedved for the Ballon d'Or in 2003.
Nominees and favourites
The 30-man shortlist includes Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Jr, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Sadio Mane, alongside Kane, Mbappe and Yamal.
Kane is the current bookmakers' favourite following a season with Bayern Munich in which his 61 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions powered the side to a domestic treble and earned him a second European Golden Shoe. He also played a vital role in England reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in North America, with the Three Lions eventually claiming third place.
Kane would be the first English winner of the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001 and only the fourth overall, joining Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Stanley Matthews and Kevin Keegan, who won it twice in 1978 and 1979 while playing for Hamburg.
Record winners
Messi comfortably leads the all-time list of Ballon d'Or wins with eight, three more than Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five. Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer all won three each during their careers.
