Mbappé, Yamal, Kane, Olise Battle for Ballon d’Or in London

Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Michael Olise are among the leading contenders for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or as football’s biggest individual awards ceremony takes place in London on Monday.

The 70th edition of the prestigious ceremony will be held at the London Palladium, marking the first time the event has taken place in the English capital. The awards recognise outstanding performances by players, goalkeepers, young talents, coaches and clubs across men’s and women’s football.

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According to the official Ballon d’Or website, live coverage begins at 4pm London time, with updates on the rankings, nominees’ arrivals, interviews, reactions and developments throughout the evening. The red carpet is scheduled to begin at 6pm, while the main ceremony will start at 8pm in London, or 9pm in Nigeria. (Ballon d’Or)

Mbappé, Yamal, Kane and Olise face competition from several other prominent names, including defending champion Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Dembélé, who won the 2025 award, is seeking to retain the honour against a strong field of nominees. The official website has described this year’s contest as one of the tightest in recent memory, with no confirmed leak revealing the winners before the ceremony. (Ballon d’Or)

The winners will be determined through an international voting process involving specialist journalists. For the men’s award, the jury comprises one journalist representing each of the 100 highest-ranked countries in the FIFA rankings, while the women’s award is decided by representatives from the top 50 countries.

The FIFA rankings in effect when the nominees were announced on September 8, 2026, determine which countries are represented on the jury.

Each juror selects 10 players from a shortlist of 30, ranking them according to merit. The players receive 15, 12, 10, eight, seven, five, four, three, two and one point, respectively.

The player with the highest aggregate score wins the award. If two or more players finish level on points, the winner is determined by the number of first-place votes. If the tie persists, second-place votes and subsequent rankings are considered.

The shortlist is compiled by the editorial staff of France Football, members of the L’Équipe editorial team, at least one member of the previous edition’s jury and designated UEFA ambassadors.

Beyond the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or awards, the ceremony will honour outstanding goalkeepers, young players, coaches and clubs. Other categories include the men’s and women’s Striker of the Year awards and the Sócrates Award, which recognises contributions to social causes.

With several leading players in contention, attention will turn to London as the football world awaits the announcement of the winners of the 70th edition of the Ballon d’Or.