The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony holds in London on Monday, with Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Michael Olise among the leading contenders for the prestigious men’s award.
The 70th edition of the ceremony will feature the announcement of winners across several categories celebrating outstanding players, goalkeepers, young talents and coaches in football.
According to the official Ballon d’Or website on Monday, live coverage of the event will begin at 4pm London time, with verified updates, behind-the-scenes reports, reactions, statistics and announcements from the ceremony.
The winner of the men’s award will succeed Ousmane Dembélé, who remains among the nominees alongside Mbappé, Yamal, Kane, Olise, Vitinha, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The website described this year’s contest as one of the tightest in recent memory, noting that no confirmed leak had revealed the winners ahead of the ceremony.
Meanwhile, the organisers have outlined the voting process that will determine the recipients of the awards.
According to the official regulations published on the Ballon d’Or website, the men’s award will be decided by an international jury comprising specialist journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings. The women’s award will be decided by journalists from the top 50 countries.
The rankings in effect when the nominees were announced on September 8, 2026, will determine the countries represented on the jury.
Each jury member is required to select 10 players from a 30-player shortlist, ranking them in order of merit. The selections will earn 15, 12, 10, eight, seven, five, four, three, two and one point, respectively.
The player with the highest aggregate score will win the award.
In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the number of first-place votes. If the tie persists, second-place votes and then subsequent rankings will be considered.
The shortlist is compiled 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 Ballon d’Or website said its editorial team would provide updates from London, including the arrival of nominees, reactions from key figures and other developments throughout the evening.
The ceremony will also feature the women’s Ballon d’Or and other specialised honours recognising achievements across the game.