The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place in London on Monday, with France captain Kylian Mbappé, Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal, England striker Harry Kane and French forward Michael Olise among the leading contenders for the men’s award.
The ceremony, now in its 70th edition, will recognise outstanding performances across several categories, including the best male and female players, goalkeepers, young footballers and coaches.
According to the official Ballon d’Or website, live coverage of the event will begin at 4pm London time, with updates on nominees’ arrivals, reactions, behind-the-scenes activities and the announcement of winners.
The winner of the men’s category will succeed Ousmane Dembélé, who is also among the 30 nominees seeking to retain the prestigious honour.
Other contenders include Mbappé, Yamal, Kane, Olise, Vitinha, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The organisers have described this year’s contest as one of the closest in recent memory, adding that no confirmed leak had disclosed the winners before the ceremony.
The voting process will be conducted by an international panel of specialist journalists.
Under the official regulations published on the Ballon d’Or website, the men’s award will be decided by representatives from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings, while journalists from the top 50 countries will determine the women’s winner.
The countries represented on the voting panel will be determined by the FIFA rankings in effect when the nominees were announced on September 8, 2026.
Each jury member will select 10 players from the 30-man shortlist and rank them according to merit.
The players will receive 15, 12, 10, eight, seven, five, four, three, two and one point, respectively, based on their positions on each ballot.
The player with the highest overall points total will emerge as the winner.
If two or more players finish level, the organisers will first consider the number of first-place votes, followed by second-place votes and subsequent rankings if necessary.
The shortlist is drawn up by the editorial staff of France Football, members of the L’Équipe editorial team, at least one member of the previous edition’s jury and designated football ambassadors.
The ceremony will also present the women’s Ballon d’Or and other specialised awards celebrating achievements across football.
The organisers are expected to provide updates throughout the evening, including reactions from nominees and other prominent figures attending the event.
