What time is the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony? Red carpet and winner’s press conference info with Kane favourite

The winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or will be announced tonight at a star-studded ceremony in London. England’s capital is hosting the 70th edition of the award with Three Lions captain Harry Kane among the leading candidates to win. This year’s gong will be handed out based on performances during the 2025/26 season as well as this summer’s World Cup. France Football’s cut-off dates for the latest Ballon d’Or stretched from August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026. Ousmane Dembele is the current holder of the prestigious award after winning it for the first time last year . The Paris Saint-Germain forward was honoured ahead of Lamine Yamal and Vitinha following his side’s treble triumph. What time is the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony? The Ballon d’Or ceremony is being held tonight – Monday, October 26. The red carpet will take place from 6pm with the ceremony beginning at 8pm. The winner’s press conference will then take place at 10:30pm. The gala is taking place in London for the first time at The Palladium near Oxford Circus. A total of 30 players have been nominated for the award, with the full list being officially revealed on September 8 . The previous ceremony was held earlier than this year’s on September 22, 2025. 2026 Ballon d'Or shortlist Jude Bellingham Pau Cubarsi Marc Cucurella Ousmane Dembele Luis Diaz Bruno Fernandes Gabriel Erling Haaland Achraf Hakimi Harry Kane Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Lamine Yamal Sadio Mane Marquinhos Lautaro Martinez Kylian Mbappe Nuno Mendes Lionel Messi Joao Neves Michael Olise Willian Pacho Julián Quiñones Declan Rice Rodri Fabian Ruiz William Saliba Ferran Torres Dayot Upamecano Vinicius Jr Vitinha Who is the favourite for the 2026 Ballon d’Or? Kane is the favourite for this year’s Ballon d’Or. The England captain is seen by many as the frontrunner for the award following an incredible year. However, Yamal is expected to rival Kane after winning the World Cup with Spain to add to Barcelona ‘s La Liga title victory. World Cup golden boot winner Kylian Mbappe is also in the mix following his 10-goal haul at the tournament for France. Kane himself found the net six times as the Three Lions finished third in North America, their best performance since 1966. Those goals took his overall tally for club and country in the 2025/26 season to 73 across all competitions. Kane’s form in front of goal last term has already secured him a second Gerd Muller Trophy, awarded to the highest-scoring player of the season. He previously shared the award with Mbappe in 2024 after they both scored 52 goals for club and country. As well as scoring 12 times for England, he was on target 61 times in just 51 appearances for Bayern Munich. Those goals included 36 in the Bundesliga as he won a second European Golden Shoe. Kane also helped his side lift by the league title and the DFB Pokal in an historic double. His previous best finish in the Ballon d’Or is 10th, which he achieved in 2017, 2018 and 2024. The 33-year-old is aiming to become the fifth Englishman to win the award and the first since Michael Owen in 2001. Latest Ballon d’Or odds Harry Kane 4/7 Kylian Mbappe 13/8 Lamine Yamal 4/1 Lionel Messi 33/1 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 66/1 Visit our dedicated betting preview for the full list of Ballon D’Or betting odds How is the Ballon d’Or winner chosen? France Football’s criteria for the Ballon d’Or voting process outlines three requirements for the award winner. The trophy is to be awarded to a player based on their individual performances as well as decisive and impressive character. Team performances and achievements such as trophies must also be considered. Meanwhile, class and fair play are also to be taken into consideration by voters. The winner is voted for by an international jury of football journalists. They consist of one representative from each country in the top 100 of FIFA ‘s World Rankings.