What time does the Ballon d'Or 2026 award ceremony start? Live stream, TV channel as gala delayed originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The greatest player over the last year in global soccer will be named as the winner of the 70th Ballon d'Or will be announced on Monday evening.
Held in London to honor the first winner of the award, the ceremony will take place outside France for the first time in the award's history.
The likes of Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, and Kylian Mbappe are considered the most likely winners on the men's side, as a breadth of storylines are up for grabs on the evening.
The Sporting News takes you through all the information you need to follow the award ceremony.
FOLLOW LIVE:Real-time updates throughout the 2026 Ballon d'Or gala
What time is the Ballon d'Or ceremony?
The 2026 Ballon d'Or award gala will take place from the London Palladium Theatre on Monday, September 22 at 8:45 pm GMT.
The event was meant to begin at 8 p.m. GMT, but it was announced shortly before the scheduled start time that the beginning of the ceremony would be delayed by 30 minutes. No reason was given for the delay. A further 15 minute delay was announced by DAZN who cited the traffic in the capital as a reason.
Normally the ceremony takes place at the Theatre du Chatlet in Paris, France, but the event is being held in the English capital this year in honor of the 70th anniversary of the award and its first-ever winner, English star Sir Stanley Matthews.
Here's how that time translates across North America, keeping in mind that Europe observed Daylight Savings Time a week before the United States and Canada:
| Date | Start Time | |
| Eastern Time | Mon, Oct. 26 | 4:45 p.m. |
| Central Time | Mon, Oct. 26 | 3:45 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Mon, Oct. 26 | 2:45 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Mon, Oct. 26 | 1:45 p.m. |
Ballon d'Orlive stream, TV channel for 2026 award ceremony
Here's how to watch the 2026 Ballon d'Or in the U.S.:
TV channel: None
Live stream:DAZN, L'Equipe YouTube channel,
The 2026 Ballon d'Or will not be available to watch on live TV in the US or Canada. However, fans can stream it live on DAZN.
2026 Ballon d'Or list of nominees, awards
The names in the running for all the prizes on offer at the gala, including the Ballon d'Or awards for men and women, were announced on September 8.
2026 men's Ballon d'Or shortlist
The following 30 players were officially nominated for the men's Ballon d'Or in 2026.
| Player | Pos | Nationality | Club (Nation) | Age |
| Jude Bellingham | CM | England | Real Madrid (ESP) | 23 |
| Pau Cubarsi | CB | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 19 |
| Marc Cucurella | LB | Spain | Chelsea (ENG) / Real Madrid (ESP) | 28 |
| Ousmane Dembele | FWD | France | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 29 |
| Luis Diaz | FWD | Colombia | Bayern Munich (GER) | 29 |
| Bruno Fernandes | CM | Portugal | Manchester United (ENG) | 32 |
| Gabriel | CB | Brazil | Arsenal | 28 |
| Erling Haaland | FWD | Norway | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 |
| Achraf Hakimi | RB | Morocco | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 27 |
| Harry Kane | FWD | England | Bayern Munich (GER) | 33 |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | FWD | Georgia | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 25 |
| Lamine Yamal | FWD | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 19 |
| Sadio Mane | FWD | Senegal | Al Nassr (KSA) | 34 |
| Marquinhos | CB | Brazil | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 32 |
| Lautaro Martinez | FWD | Argentina | Inter Milan (ITA) | 28 |
| Kylian Mbappe | FWD | France | Real Madrid (ESP) | 27 |
| Nuno Mendes | LB | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 24 |
| Lionel Messi | FWD | Argentina | Inter Miami (USA) | 39 |
| Joao Neves | CM | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 21 |
| Michael Olise | FWD | France | Bayern Munich (GER) | 24 |
| Willian Pacho | CB | Ecuador | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 24 |
| Julian Quinones | FWD | Mexico | Al Qadsia (KSA) | 29 |
| Declan Rice | CM | England | Arsenal (ENG) | 26 |
| Rodri | CM | Spain | Manchester City (ENG) / Barcelona (ESP) | 30 |
| Fabian Ruiz | CM | Spain | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 29 |
| William Saliba | CB | France | Arsenal (ENG) | 25 |
| Ferran Torres | FWD | Spain | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) / Barcelona (ESP) | 26 |
| Dayot Upamecano | CB | France | Bayern Munich (GER) | 27 |
| Vinicius Jr. | FWD | Brazil | Real Madrid (ESP) | 26 |
| Vitinha | CM | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) | 25 |
2026 women's Ballon d'Or shortlist
The following 30 players were officially nominated for the women's Ballon d'Or in 2026.
| Player | Pos | Nationality | Club (Nation) | Age |
| Selma Bacha | LB | France | Lyon (FRA) | 25 |
| Barbara Banda | FWD | Zambia | Orlando Pride (USA) | 26 |
| Klara Buhl | FWD | Germany | Bayern Munich (GER) | 25 |
| Esmee Brugts | LB | Netherlands | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 |
| Mariona Caldentey | ACM | Spain | Arsenal (ENG) | 30 |
| Scarlett Camberos | FWD | Mexico | Club America (MEX) | 25 |
| Kerstin Casparij | RB | Netherlands | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 |
| Temwa Chawinga | FWD | Malawi | Kansas City Current (USA) | 27 |
| Cata Coll | GK | Barceloan (ESP) | 25 | |
| Melchie Dumornay | FWD | Haiti | Lyon (FRA) | 23 |
| Caroline Graham Hansen | FWD | Norway | Barcelona (ESP) | 30 |
| Alex Greenwood | DEF | England | Manchester City (ENG) | 33 |
| Patri Guijarro | CM | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 28 |
| Pernille Harder | FWD | Denmark | Bayern Munich (GER) | 33 |
| Yui Hasegawa | CM | Japan | Manchester City (ENG) | 29 |
| Rose Lavelle | CM | USA | Gotham FC (USA) | 31 |
| Mapi Leon | DEF | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) / London City Lionesses (ENG) | 31 |
| Lorena | GK | Brazil | Kansas City Current (USA) | 29 |
| Melvine Malard | FWD | France | Manchester United (ENG) / Chelsea (ENG) | 26 |
| Manaka Matsukubo | MID | Japan | North Carolina Courage (USA) / Chelsea (ENG) | 22 |
| Vivianne Miedema | FWD | Netherlands | Manchester City (ENG) | 30 |
| Ewa Pajor | FWD | Poland | Barcelona (ESP) | 29 |
| Claudia Pina | FWD | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) | 25 |
| Alexia Putellas | MID | Spain | Barcelona (ESP) / London City Lionesses (ENG) | 32 |
| Wendie Renard | CB | France | Lyon (FRA) | 36 |
| Alessia Russo | FWD | England | Arsenal (ENG) | 27 |
| Khadija Shaw | FWD | Jamaica | Manchester City (ENG) | 29 |
| Momoko Tanikawa | MID | Japan | Bayern Munich (GER) | 21 |
| Caroline Weir | CM | Scotland | Real Madrid (ESP) / Lyon (FRA) | 31 |
| Tessa Wullaert | FWD | Belgium | Inter Milan (ITA) / Como (ITA) | 33 |