Football’s biggest individual prize gets a brand new stage on Monday night. The Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony leaves France for the first time in its 70-year history, and it lands in London with Harry Kane holding a clear lead over Lamine Yamal at the top of the race.
The votes are already in. A jury of 100 journalists closed the Ballon d’Or 2026 voting on September 28, judging the full 2025-26 season from August to July, World Cup included. Monday night is not a decision, it is a reveal, and the winner’s name has been sitting in a sealed envelope for weeks.
Ballon d’Or 2026 Result: Kane Wins It, Putellas Completes Her Hat-Trick
The envelope is open. Harry Kane has won the men’s Ballon d’Or 2026 in his home city after a 73-goal season for Bayern Munich and England, with Kylian Mbappe second and Lamine Yamal third. Alexia Putellas won the women’s award for the third time, ahead of Ewa Pajor in second and Khadija Shaw in third. Yamal still went home with the Kopa Trophy for the third straight year, and Kane doubled up with the Gerd Muller Trophy as the season’s top scorer.
When the Ceremony Starts and How to Watch
The Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony takes place on Monday, October 26 at the London Palladium Theatre. The show starts at 8pm London time, which is 9pm in central Europe and 1am on Tuesday morning in Pakistan.
DAZN carries a free live stream of the ceremony in most countries, red carpet coverage included, and you only need a free account to watch. UEFA has published the full list of broadcast partners for every territory, so fans anywhere in the world have an official way in. Thierry Henry and Kate Scott host the night.
Read more: Ballon d’Or 2026 nominees, favourites and ceremony date
Why London? The Stanley Matthews Tribute
This is the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony, and the organisers wanted the anniversary to mean something. London was picked as a tribute to Stanley Matthews, the England winger who won the very first Ballon d’Or back in 1956.
The award has been handed out in Paris for decades, so moving it is a genuine break with tradition. If Kane does lift the trophy on home soil, he becomes the first English winner since Michael Owen, and he would do it in the city chosen to honour the man who started the whole thing.
The Race: Kane Clear, Yamal Chasing
Every measure points the same way. Kane is the shortest price of the entire Ballon d’Or 2026 race with the bookmakers, prediction markets put him around 75 percent, and a FanPuls poll of more than 5,000 fans this week gave him 45.2 percent of the vote. Yamal came second in that poll on 11.8 percent, and he is the only challenger anyone takes seriously at this point.
The Independent’s final power rankings tell the same story: Kane first, Yamal second, Rodri third, Kylian Mbappe fourth and Lionel Messi fifth. Mbappe started October as a live contender, but the last three weeks have pushed him to the edge of the picture, and Messi’s nomination run continues without a real path to a ninth trophy.
Sunday’s Clasico Is the Warm-Up Act
The two leading names who play in Spain meet 24 hours before the ceremony, when Barcelona host Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday night. Yamal has 8 league goals this season and Mbappe has 9, and both scored in the Champions League this week.
Let us be clear about one thing: the Clasico cannot change the Ballon d’Or result, because the voting closed a month ago. What it changes is the temperature in the room on Monday night. One of them walks into the Palladium 24 hours after winning the biggest club match on the planet, and the other walks in after losing it.
Read more: El Clasico 2026 preview, Yamal vs Mbappe
A Rough Week for the Reigning Champion
Ousmane Dembele won this award last year, and his defence of it ended in the saddest way possible. The PSG forward limped off with a hamstring injury in the 19th minute against Barcelona on Tuesday and faces three to four weeks out.
PSG’s injury list from that one match is brutal. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia suffered an ACL injury that could end his season, and captain Marquinhos is out for weeks with a thigh problem. The champions of Europe arrive at the gala with their best players on crutches, which sums up how quickly this award moves on.
What Else Gets Decided on the Night
Around 13 trophies are handed out across the men’s and women’s game. Alongside the two main awards there is the Kopa Trophy for the best young player, the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper, the Gerd Muller Trophy for the top striker, plus coach of the year and club of the year honours.
The women’s award is guaranteed a new winner this year, because three-time champion Aitana Bonmati is not on the nominee list. The full nominee breakdown for both awards is in our Ballon d’Or 2026 race guide.
So who wins it? On every piece of evidence available, this is Kane’s night. Yamal is 19 and will have many more of these nights, but the 2026 envelope almost certainly has an England captain’s name inside it.
When is the Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony?
The ceremony is on Monday, October 26, 2026. It starts at 8pm London time, which is 9pm in central Europe and 1am on Tuesday in Pakistan.
Where is the Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony being held?
At the London Palladium Theatre in London. It is the first ceremony held outside France, and London was chosen to honour Stanley Matthews, the first winner in 1956.
How can I watch the Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony for free?
DAZN streams the ceremony live and free in most countries, including the red carpet show. UEFA’s website lists the official broadcast partner for every country.
Who is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or 2026?
Harry Kane is the clear favourite with bookmakers, prediction markets and fan polls. Lamine Yamal is his only realistic challenger, with Rodri, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi behind them.
Can the El Clasico result change who wins the Ballon d’Or 2026?
No. Voting by the 100-journalist jury closed on September 28, so the winner is already decided. The Clasico only decides who arrives in London happier on Monday night.