Mbappe, Kane, Yamal Are Ballon d’Or Front Runners Today

Duro Ikhazuagbe

France’s Kylian Mbappé, England’s Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal of Spain are amongst the men front runners for this year’s Ballon d’Or title to be unveiled this evening at the 70th edition of the award in London.

According to its organisers, the awards is scheduled to begin at 8pm UK time.

The 2026 edition scheduled to hold at the London Palladium, is the first time ever that the Ballon d’Or will hold outside its traditional Paris venue. It was selected in honour of the inaugural 1956 winner, Sir Stanley Matthews.

Expectedly, the awards ceremony has created abuzz in the British capital city, with most football fines looking in the direction of England/Bayern Munich’s forward, Harry Kane, to win his first Ballon d’Or. No British male footballer has won the award since 2001 when Michael Owen was the recipient of the exclusive top football honour.

Spain’s Yamal on the other hand has done more than enough for both club and country to be considered for the title. This year, he led Spain to win the Wold Cup in North America after defeating Argentina in the final.

Other top runners for the award include; defending champions’ Ousmane Dembélé of France/Paris Saint-Germain, and Norway/Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, amongst others.

In the women’s categories, Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas is among the nominees seeking to add to her previous Ballon d’Or Féminin victories. The award will recognise the standout performer in women’s football over the relevant assessment period.

In addition to the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or, the ceremony will recognise achievements across several categories.

These include the Kopa Trophy for young players, the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers, the Johan Cruyff Trophy for coaches, the Gerd Müller Trophy for goalscorers and the Club of the Year awards.

The ceremony will also feature the Sócrates Award, which recognises football-related solidarity initiatives and contributions to social causes.