Shortlist and ceremony

The 2026 men's Ballon d'Or will be presented in London on Monday, 26 October, with the ceremony starting at 8pm GMT. El Confidencial notes that it is the first time in the award's 70-year history that it will not be held in Paris. The shortlist has 30 players, among them four Portuguese, including Bruno Fernandes. BBC Sport reports that Paris Saint-Germain have a record 10 players on the list, while Barcelona's Pau Cubarsí is also nominated. Voting closed nearly a month before the ceremony, so the most recent matches could not have influenced the result.

The race at the top

Betfair's probability monitoring, cited by El Confidencial, puts Harry Kane first on 34.92% and Lamine Yamal second on 28.29%, with Kylian Mbappé third on 4.35%. Since the 30-player list was made official, Yamal's probability has risen 112.2%, compared with a 9.7% rise for Kane. Kane, who is 33, is aiming to become the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001, according to The Independent, despite lacking a continental trophy. Diário de Notícias reports that Kane reached 73 goals in 2025/26, and that after the 2-2 Champions League draw with Arsenal he said he would like to know whether he has won before the gala. Yamal finished second in 2025 behind Ousmane Dembélé, although he won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player.

Harry Kane34.92%

Lamine Yamal28.29%

Kylian Mbappé4.35%

Rodri2.18%

Harry Kane

34.92 %

Lamine Yamal

28.29 %

Kylian Mbappé

4.35 %

Rodri

2.18 %

Data from the article text

Campaigns and debate

Campaigns have been loud across the media. Guillem Balague, a European football expert, said on BBC Sport's Euro Leagues podcast:

“The Ballon d'Or has been discussed every single day.”

Deco called it a 'huge scandal' that two Barcelona players missed out on the shortlist, while backing Yamal as the overwhelming favourite. Luis Enrique confessed he is 'bored of the Ballon d'Or', even though his club has a record 10 players nominated. Yamal insisted he will not 'beg for anything' but suggested the prize should not simply go to the top goalscorer. Dembélé, last year's winner, praised Yamal to BBC Sport:

“Honestly, he deserves it, the season he had was exceptional.”

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia replied 'Of course it's him!', and fans in Georgia are running a 'Kvara d'Or' campaign for him, although The Independent notes he has since suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Yamal's trip to London

Cadena COPE reported that Yamal has chartered a private jet to take his family, friends and close collaborators to London. Fanpage lists his parents, several relatives, his girlfriend and friends among the passengers. The Barcelona delegation will travel on a different plane, led by club president Laporta, and includes Cubarsí and Rodri, according to Fanpage. The same report, citing Cadena COPE, says Yamal has also booked a venue for a possible celebration. Last year he had planned a party in Paris for the award, but Dembélé took the prize.

Clásico before the ceremony

Before London, Yamal and Mbappé face each other in the Clásico at Camp Nou on Sunday, 25 October. Fanpage says the match could already settle much of the Liga title race by the end of October. Betfair's tracking also includes Rodri, who sits eighth on 2.18%, Pau Cubarsí at 1.66% and Bruno Fernandes at 0.56%, according to El Confidencial. The ceremony follows on Monday, 26 October, and The Independent reports it can be watched free on ballondor.com and DAZN, with a live blog from Independent Sport.