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Zidane absent from 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, Diallo to represent FFF

France manager Zinedine Zidane will not attend the Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony at London Palladium on Monday evening. FFF president Philippe Diallo will ensure institutional representation of French football.

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Zidane absent from 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, Diallo to represent FFF
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Zinedine Zidane will not be present at London Palladium on Monday evening for the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony. The France manager has chosen not to make the trip to London, with no reasons given for his absence.

The French Football Federation will not be without representation at this event, however. Philippe Diallo, FFF president, will travel to the British capital to attend the presentation of football’s supreme individual award.

Zidane’s absence contrasts with the stance of his predecessor. Last year, Didier Deschamps made the trip to the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, accompanied by his assistant Guy Stéphan, for the 69th edition of the ceremony — a landmark evening for French football as it crowned Ousmane Dembélé.

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