What time is the Ballon d'Or ceremony? Date and details

The 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place in London on Monday October 26, with the event scheduled to begin at 8pm Sky Sports. Created in 1956 by two sports writers from France Football, the award recognizes the best men's and women's player in world football Sky Sports. The ceremony marks the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or and is held at the London Palladium theatre in Soho to pay tribute to England's Stanley Matthews Sky Sports.

The Facts: Voting and Criteria

Players are judged based on their performances from August 3 2025 until July 19 2026 Sky Sports. The judging process involves an international jury of specialised journalists; for the men's prize, one journalist represents every country in the top 100 FIFA rankings, and for the women's award, one journalist represents each nation in the top 50, based on the FIFA rankings from September 8, 2026 Sky Sports. Each juror ranks 10 players from a 30-player shortlist, with points awarded from 15 down to 1 Sky Sports. The shortlist is selected by France Football's editorial staff, members of L'Equipe's editorial staff, a juror from the previous edition, and UEFA ambassadors Luis Figo and Fabio Capello for the men's trophy, and Nadine Kessler for the women's trophy Sky Sports.

Who is in the running?

Bookmakers initially had Spain winger Lamine Yamal as odds-on for the men's prize, but Harry Kane of Bayern Munich and England has since become the bookies' favourite, with Kylian Mbappe as the second favourite following a late surge in betting Sky Sports. Experts offer varied opinions: some pundits believe Lamine Yamal should win due to his World Cup success with Spain and La Liga with Barcelona BBC, while others, like former England striker Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy, strongly back Harry Kane for his sensational goalscoring numbers over the last 12 to 18 months for Bayern Munich and England BBC. European football expert Guillem Balague suggests a PSG or Spanish player is likely, noting Kylian Mbappe is "so gone" BBC.

What this means for you

Our view is that while bookmakers track betting odds, the final result depends entirely on the detailed voting criteria, which prioritizes performance across the entire season rather than just a single tournament victory. For fans, the event is not just about the men's and women's top player; there are six other prizes, including the Kopa Trophy for Young Talent, the Lev Yashin Trophy for Goalkeeper, and the Socrates Award celebrating humanitarian work Sky Sports. Understanding global events like the Ballon d'Or highlights international collaboration, which is key to global AI volunteering initiatives.

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