61 Goals: Harry Kane Leads Contention for 2026 Ballon d'Or in London

The 70th annual Ballon d'Or ceremony will take place at the London Palladium Theatre in London, England, on Monday, October 26, 2026. France Football, the publisher behind the award, selected the venue to honor Stanley Matthews, the first winner of the prize in 1956 and an Englishman. This marks the first time the gala has been held outside of Paris.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. London time, with the red carpet opening two hours earlier at 6:00 p.m. Local Central Florida residents can watch the event live at 3:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. The winners will hold a press conference at 10:30 p.m. London time, or 5:30 p.m. CDT.

Voters for the men's award consist of 100 journalists, one from each of the top-ranked FIFA countries. The women's award is determined by a panel of 50 journalists. The organization has kept the results secret, with no public leaks indicating which player will receive the golden ball this year.

English striker Harry Kane is among the top contenders, citing a season in which he scored 61 goals for Bayern Munich in 51 matches. French forward Kylian Mbappé also has a strong case, having recorded 42 goals in 44 appearances for Real Madrid and reaching 22 goals in his World Cup career. Spanish midfielder Lamine Yamal, who won LaLiga EA Sports with Barcelona, has publicly claimed the prize based on his influence on the game.

Past results suggest the outcome remains uncertain. In 2024, Rodri won the award despite expectations for Vinicius Jr. Last year, Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain took the honor over Yamal. Recent history shows that the award often bypasses the most obvious candidates, with no single player dominating the conversation this cycle.

Spanish players occupy a large portion of the nomination list. In addition to Yamal, Rodri, and Fabián Ruiz, the shortlist includes Ferran Torres, Marc Cucurella, and Pau Cubarsí. The men's award is considered the primary focus of the season, though the women's category features several Spanish favorites, including Alexia Putellas, Cata Coll, and Claudia Pina.

Notably, Aitana Bonmatí, the winner of the last three women's awards, is not on this year's list due to a severe injury. She previously won the prize in 2023, 2024, and 2025, following Putellas' victories in 2021 and 2022. This year's female nominees aim to break the recent streak of Spanish dominance in the category.

Other awards will be presented before the individual winners are announced. Nominations for Best Team include Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodø/Glimt, and Flamengo for men, and Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Lyon, and América de México for women. Four of the five nominees for Best Coach are Spanish: Luis de la Fuente, Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta, and Unai Emery.

The Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper features nominees such as David Raya, Thibaut Courtois, and Emiliano Martínez. The Young Player award includes Lamine Yamal and Ayyoub Bouaddi. To commemorate the 70th anniversary, the public can vote for the Ballon d'Or of All Time, a category restricted to players who have won the main award at least twice. Participation in this special vote requires a contribution of one euro.