Ballon d'Or 2026 Ceremony Held in London for First Time
The 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place at the London Palladium on 26 October 2026, the first time the prestigious football award has left France, with Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane the leading favourite.
The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony was held at the London Palladium on Monday, 26 October — the first time in the award's 70-year history that it left France, its traditional home. Organisers chose London as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, the English forward who won the inaugural Ballon d'Or in 1956. The event was hosted by Thierry Henry, the France and Arsenal striker, alongside sports journalist Kate Scott. Bayern Munich and England captain Harry Kane entered the evening as the bookmakers' clear favourite, holding around 70 percent of the market share, after scoring an incredible 73 goals last season. Kane also claimed the Bundesliga's top scorer award for a third straight year, earned a second European Golden Shoe, won the Bundesliga title, and led England to a third-place finish at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. France's Kylian Mbappé, who won the Golden Boot at the World Cup and set an all-time goals record, was second in the betting, with teenage winger Lamine Yamal — part of Spain's world title-winning squad — third. In the women's category, Spain captain Alexia Putellas, a two-time winner in 2021 and 2022, was the frontrunner after guiding Barcelona to a quadruple that included the Liga F and Women's Champions League titles. She was hoping to match the record of three trophies held by reigning winner Aitana Bonmatí. A total of 13 awards were distributed at the ceremony, which was livestreamed for free by DAZN in most countries, broadcast on L'Equipe TV in France and on Telefonica in Spain.
