The prestigious Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony will take place in London on Monday night, October 26, with stars such as Harry Kane, Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe among the favourites to win the award.
For football fans in India, the red-carpet coverage is expected to begin at 10.30 pm IST on Monday, while the main ceremony is scheduled to start at 1.30 am IST on Tuesday, October 27, according to reports.
Fans can watch the ceremony live on the DAZN app and website, as well as on the official Ballon d'Or website.
70th edition to be held in London
The 70th edition of the award will be held at the London Palladium. Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele won the prestigious individual honour in 2025.
As the World Cup 2026 will be part of the assessment period for the award, thus, individual performances at the club and international level will likely play an important role in the outcome of the award.
Harry Kane favourite ahead of ceremony
England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane leads the race for the Ballon d’Or 2026, according to GOAL’s power rankings. He helped the German club win the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.
Kane was one of the standout performers for club and country, scoring 73 goals in 65 matches over the 11-month period, according to ESPN. He was also England’s top scorer during this period.
Kane’s record-breaking campaign ranks as the second-highest-scoring season by a player since 2000, behind only Lionel Messi’s 2011-12 season, when the Barcelona and Argentina forward scored 82 goals in 69 matches.
Yamal, Messi among favourites
Barcelona and Spain star Lamine Yamal is also among the favourites to win the award. The teenager scored 26 goals and provided 21 assists during a successful domestic campaign for the Catalan club. He was also part of Spain’s FIFA World Cup-winning squad.
Messi is also among the leading contenders after another impressive season with US-based Inter Miami and Argentina. He also helped his country reach the FIFA World Cup final. Messi last won the Ballon d’Or in 2023.
He was also the most recent Barcelona and Argentina player to win the award.
French stars Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe complete the top five favourites for this year’s award. Olise and Mbappe were pivotal for their respective clubs, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.