The Ballon d'Or leaves Paris for London this year

The 2026 Ballon d'Or will be presented in London on Monday, October 26. The ceremony will take place at the London Palladium theatre. It is the first time the award has been handed out in the British capital. UEFA, which organises the event with the French magazine France Football, announced the move in May.

According to UEFA, London was chosen to honour Stanley Matthews, the English player who won the first Ballon d'Or in 1956. This year marks 70 years since that first award. France Football published the shortlists on September 8: 30 men and 30 women are in the running. There are also prizes for the best young players, goalkeepers, coaches and teams, for both men and women.

The ceremony is usually held in Paris, often at the Théâtre du Châtelet. However, Paris has not always been the host. From 2010 to 2015, when the award was combined with a FIFA prize, the event took place in Zurich, Switzerland. It is not clear whether the ceremony will return to Paris in future years.

Last year, Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain and Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona won. Dembélé is on the 2026 men's list, along with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi. Bonmatí, who won the last three women's awards, is not nominated after missing most of the season through injury. Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are among the leading women's names.

The men's winner is chosen by 100 journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA ranking, and the women's winner by 50 journalists. The votes cover the 2025-26 season, including the summer's World Cup. Sports Illustrated reports that the ceremony starts at 4 p.m. ET (8 p.m. in London), with Kate Scott and Thierry Henry as hosts.