Ballon d'Or 2026: Winner Announced After 22:47 Tonight in London

The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place Monday evening at London Palladium, in central London. The name of the best player of the 2025-2026 season will be known around 22:47 French time.

The red carpet opens at 19:30, but the official ceremony begins at 21:00. Presenters Kate Scott and Thierry Henry will host the evening, with the women’s Ballon d’Or scheduled for around 22:38 before the men’s award about ten minutes later.

Suspense remains high just hours before the verdict. Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane have each been announced as favourite in recent days. In a World Cup year, the trophy historically goes to a standout champion or finalist from the tournament — a criterion that could weigh in the balance against Yamal, who scored just one goal and one assist during the competition.

Nearly all 30 nominees made the trip to London, with the notable exception of PSG players, retained in Paris for the Ligue 1 clash against OL at Parc des Princes, which kicks off at 20:30.

This edition also marks a change of venue: France Football, now partner of UEFA for organising the Ballon d’Or, chose to move the ceremony outside Paris. London was selected to pay tribute to Stanley Matthews, the trophy’s first winner in 1956.